The Dog's Byte
by QueenCheetah
Summary: Jou finds himself making a 'business' deal with Domino's youngest CEO- but has he finally bitten off more than he can chew? A semi-serious attempt at Puppyshipping with a little angst for good measure- SxJ -Shonen-ai (Please note: this story may be updated a lot slower than my other fics).
1. Chapter 1

It was nearly half-past ten, and Ryou Bakura was getting ready for bed. His three Egyptian roommates were playing some type of (normal) card game in the kitchen. But judging by the amount of yelling coming from Bakura and Malik, apparently Marik was having trouble understanding the rules. From the sounds of it, he kept trying to summon the King of Hearts.

 _*DING-DONG!*_

Ryou put down his toothbrush and titled his head in confusion. 'Who on Earth would ring the doorbell at this hour- well, present company excluded.'

The slender duelist made his way to the front hall and opened the door cautiously. "Hello? Can I-"

 _*WHOOMPH!*_ The pale hikari promptly had the wind knocked out of him when something slammed into his chest.

"Ryou! _Pl_ _ease, help me!_ " A younger voice cried desperately from somewhere near Ryou's chest.

"Eh?" Ryou looked down to see a wild mass of black hair. "Mokuba?!"

The younger Kaiba brother looked terrible. His eyes were red and puffy, and his lower lip kept trembling. He was also breathing heavily, as if he ran all the way to Ryou's house.

"It's ok Mokuba; calm down." The fair-skinned teen kindly guided the boy inside. "I'll help however I can, but you need to take a deep breath first."

The junior duelist nodded, his eyes still watery. He took a deep breath, and then blurted loudly: _"_ _H_ _e's gonna_ _kill_ _him!"_

The British boy was stunned. The card-playing group also heard the yell. A second later Bakura and the blonde duo had poked their heads out into the living room.

Ryou madly motioned for the other three to get back into the kitchen- Mokuba didn't necessarily have the fondest memories of the Egyptian trio.

As soon as the others obeyed (meaning: as soon as Malik managed to drag the other two back to the game/kitchen table), Ryou suggested that Mokuba sit next to him on the couch. The hysterical pre-teen followed, but his breathing was still frantic.

"Ok, that's something that needs to be stopped, but first I have to know who you're talking about."

Mokuba struggled not to wail again. "My brother, Seto- he found Noah and now he's going to destroy him!"

"Noah?" Ryou blinked. "Noah Kaiba? But, wasn't he a computer program on the island Kaiba destroyed?"

Mokuba nodded grimly. "Lately Seto's been reducing KaibaCorp's expenses. He found the deed to an old building Gozaburo bought." The pre-teen shrugged. "It seemed like a regular business property, and Seto told me I could come with to the inspection. But then Seto had to take an emergency corporate call, and he let me go ahead to the site without him."

Ryou held back his questions as he listened patiently.

The dark-haired duelist went on. "So I went right away with the workmen- and when we got there it seemed totally normal. But then, we found that there was a hidden basement underneath! It turns out that Gozaburo had been using the building as a secret base to reverse-engineer the programs of other defense companies. He was _stealing_ computer codes from different weapons manufacturers to design his own wares- and he used the run-down building to hide his work!"

Ryou nodded as he remembered what he'd heard about the previous CEO. He wasn't surprised.

Mokuba took a deep breath. "At first it looked like everything had been cleaned out- there was only some old furniture and stuff. But I was digging through a file cabinet when I found something strange. There was a small briefcase sitting in the back of a drawer. I opened it and found a series of complex files and folders. They were all designs for the digital program that housed Noah's consciousness... after the accident."

The older boy waited anxiously for Mokuba to continue- he had a feeling what was coming next.

"There was also an unmarked disk in an old case, so I took it home and ran it on my computer. And then, Noah popped up on the screen!"

Ryou's cocoa-colored eyes widened, but he didn't interrupt the distressed speaker.

"It really freaked me out, and thankfully Seto wasn't home, 'cuz I yelled! I have no idea why, but somehow this disk was created before the one we saw on the island- and it wasn't corrupted!"

The British teen was baffled- why would Noah's mind be saved on two separate, yet obviously unequal disks? It made no sense... if it was a backup disk, wouldn't it have been updated every time the original was 'improved'?

Ryou's musings were interrupted when the younger Kaiba continued his explanation.

"I talked with him for weeks- he was disturbed when I told him what had happened with the other disk, but I convinced him it wasn't his fault. All this 'Noah' wants is a new body; a way to breathe again. A life."

Having seen the way the yami's reacted after being brought back to life... Ryou somewhat understood.

"I was going to ask Seto if there was some way we could help him, but Noah was terrified that Seto would delete him. He kept begging me to keep him a secret. But I didn't listen!" Mokuba wailed. "I was really distracted tonight and I accidentally mentioned Noah's name while we were eating dinner. And then Seto forced me to explain everything, and now he's tearing the mansion apart looking for the disk!"

Mokuba literally got down on the floor and knelt in front of the other duelist. He clasped his hands together and gave him the 'super-mega-cute-chibi' look.

"Please, _please_ , help me! If Seto finds that disk he'll destroy it! And if he then deletes everything on my computer, Noah will be gone _forever_!"

The white-haired boy tilted his head in confusion.

"I'll go with you back to the mansion, but I have to ask- why did you come to me? Surely Yugi and Jounouchi know more about Noah's situation-?"

Mokuba shook his head. "I tried calling them a bunch of times, but no one answered. Besides, Seto hates Jounouchi, and he still sees Yugi as his utmost rival." He gave the British-born duelist a determined stare. _"You_ didn't meet the corrupted Noah, and you're more computer savvy. You're the best one to talk to Seto."

Ryou wasn't sure he followed the boy's logic, but he decided to help anyway.

"Ok, I'll help. I have an idea, but just so you know, you may have to make a compromise."

Mokuba nodded firmly. "Anything."

A pair of massive, metal gates swung open and shut as the pale teenager and the shorter pre-teen rushed up the drive. The two had just arrived at the Kaiba mansion- Mokuba had answered some of Ryou's questions on the way, but the story was still pretty straightforward.

The two duelists were already heading down the main hall when they heard a frantic voice calling out from somewhere behind them.

" **Mokuba?!"** A loud voice echoed down the hallway.

"Jounouchi?!" Ryou and Mokuba listened as a series of frantic footsteps echoed down the hall.

"Mokuba!" The figure finally made it around the corner into the hall, revealing the thin body of Jounouchi Katsuya.

The blonde was bent over, struggling to catch his breath. It looked as though he had run over right from his job- he was still wearing an auto shop uniform, and he was covered in grime.

"What's- going- on?" Jou wheezed. "You- ok?"

Ryou was confused. "Mokuba, I thought you said Jounouchi didn't answer his phone?"

"Sorry- on shift. Couldn't- answer."

There was a loud *bang!* as one of the many doors lining the corridor flew open. A very irate Seto Kaiba began marching down the hall towards the trio. His mood did not improve upon noticing the louder of the two 'visitors.'

"You filthy mutt! What the hell do you think you're doing here? I didn't invite a grimy dog to my mansion this evening!" Kaiba spat at the blonde.

Jounouchi held out his arms in surrender. "Whoa, whoa, rich boy! I come in peace!" He waved his hands back and forth. "Hold on a sec' and let's hold off the fightin' for now- Mokuba has a problem an' he needs help."

Kaiba glared at the slightly shorter teen. "And how, exactly, do you think you can help?"

Jounouchi was straining to remain civil. Kaiba's snarky tone wasn't helping.

"I'm thinkin' that Mokuba wouldn't have called me unless it was somethin' I could help with."

Jounouchi sat down on the richly carpeted floor and turned to the youngest boy. "So, what's up, munchkin? You need me to beat someone up?"

"Jounouchi!"

The Brooklyn native laughed and held up his hands. "I'm kidding, Ryou, kidding! ...So, do ya?"

Mokuba didn't smile, but his frown lessened a bit. Jounouchi took this as a good sign.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want," the laid-back duelist suggested, "just let me n' Ryou know what we can do to help."

"You can get off the carpet, for starters. You're spreading your filth everywhere." Kaiba glowered at the American duelist.

Jounouchi was starting to see red, but he forcibly turned his gaze to Ryou. "So what's goin'

on? Do you know why you're here?"

"Dog! Is your hearing going, or are you just badly trained?! I said, you're staining the carpet. _Get up_."

Everyone froze when Jou jumped up and whirled around to face the taller man. Mokuba stopped sniffling, and even Ryou was stunned into silence.

" _Aw_ , _ **s**_ _ **hove it, Kaiba!**_ " Jounouchi bellowed at the CEO. Everyone's eyes widened at the force behind the shout. True, Jou always tended to be pretty loud. But it wasn't his usual, 'irritated-but-half-serious' tone. This was something neither Ryou nor the two Kaiba's had heard before.

Both amber-brown eyes narrowed in dangerous revolt. "Here ya are worrying about your damn floor, while your little brother needs help! Why don'tcha try and forget about your stupid mansion and help us figure out what's upsetting him?!"

The other three blinked at the aggressive voice coming from their blonde friend. This wasn't 'Jou.' Nope, this was the abused, misguided street brawler who once ran as second-in-command of the city's worst underage gang. This was Jou's previous life. This was 'Jounouchi Katsuya'- the gangster.

Both Kaiba brothers were stunned at the blonde's sudden ferocity. Ryou was fighting between the part of his mind telling him to panic and the other part which told him this was just a very bizarre dream.

Jounouchi wasn't done. He sneered in distaste as he berated the older Kaiba.

"You can buy another d*mn carpet! But Mokuba has a problem an' I'm betting you can't jus' buy a solution! He needs you; his _broth-_ _er_!" Jounouchi emphasized the last point by pushing his index finger stubbornly into the taller man's chest.

Kaiba glared at the personal attack, but only smacked Jou's hand away.

"I would suggest checking the facts before you start barking your head off, mutt. I already know the problem. And the solution."

The golden-haired teen just glared in dubiousness.

The smaller brother cried out. "But Seto!-"

"Mokuba!" The brilliant progeny snapped. "I already explained to you why this has to be done. Now enough with this empathy- you act like I'm killing a person, not an object."

"He IS a person!" Mokuba finally lost it (Ryou couldn't help thinking how the youngest boy was the last to lose his temper) and began screaming. "You're so cruel, Seto! You don't even know what _makes_ a person, a person! You act more like a machine than  he does!"

Kaiba's eyes widened at that last comment.

Mokuba shook his head. "If you destroy him- I-I'm never going to forgive you!" Tears were visibly running down his face as he ran from the room.

Ryou and Kaiba were both stupefied.

Jounouchi, however, did what he did best; and impulsively rushed off.

The black-haired kid was already half-way down the stairs to the main floor when Jou saw him.

"Hey! Shorty! Wait up! I ran all the way here- gimme a break!"

Mokuba finally stopped at the last step and sat down, his head hanging.

"T'anks." The Brooklyn duelist panted as he sat down.

Both boys were silent for a bit. Jounouchi finally caught his breath, but he waited for Mokuba to speak first.

"I don't get it..." Mokuba muttered quietly. "Why does he want to destroy him? Noah's not dangerous..."

Jou was still baffled, but he got the basic gist of the matter. At least now he knew who Mokuba meant.

"I think he's jus' worried. You're his lil' brother, right? And you know, you do tend to get into trouble. Like, alot." Mokuba frowned, but Jounouchi just gave a dopey grin. "Heck, how many times have you gone missin' now? I've seen women that put these leashes on their kids- like a harness, y'know? You're lucky your brother hasn't tried that."

Mokuba sighed. "No, Seto'd rather put a microchip in my butt or something."

Jounouchi had to laugh. "Hah! Can you imagine explaining tha' one to airport security?! 'Excuse me sir, but you keep setting off the detector- do you have any metal on you?' Man, that'd be priceless!"

Mokuba let out a faint snicker. "Or what if you went shopping at the mall and it set off the alarms?"

"Oh man- 'Attention shoppers, please ignore the alarms. There is a customer with a metal tracking device in his a-"

"As much as I enjoy your crude humor, I must warn you not to swear in front of my brother."

Kaiba glared down at the two from several steps above them. Ryou stood at the top of the staircase, watching uneasily. He could almost feel the tension between the rest of the group.

"Um, Kaiba? I know it's a bit odd, but would you mind if we at least listened to Mokuba? I'm afraid I'm still not sure what's going on..." Ryou knew he was stretching the truth a bit; but he figured Jounouchi needed to be filled in as well.

After a brief explanation (during which Seto graciously refrained from commenting), Jou seemed to agree with Mokuba and Ryou.

"I don' think you should get rid a' him either, Kaiba- I mean, the 'other' Noah did save us in the end, right?"

The towering duelist gave a huff and a look of incredulity. Unfortunately, his refusal to accept the inexplicable meant that Seto did _not_ believe that the 'other' Noah had helped them escape Gozaburo's grasp.

But the blonde duelist refused to give up. "Well, then look at it this way, Moneybags. Either the thing really _is_ alive with someone's mind, an' shouldn't have to die, or else it's a really weird, rare computer program that no one's ever seen." Jou shrugged for emphasis. "Either way, I don't see why you wanna destroy it."

The other man nodded slightly. "Hmph. Fair point." He reluctantly conceded that his rival was right. But his attitude remained firm. "Nevertheless, this is an advanced piece of military-derived programming that could be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands. I cannot just allow this disk to lie around in a random filing cabinet again."

Jounouchi put one hand on his chin. "Sooo... you're a businessman looking to unload some company product, right? Well, why dont'cha sell it to me?" He grinned in what was clearly an attempt at a winning smile.

Kaiba nearly lost it when he heard that response. He had to struggle not to burst out laughing while he replied. "I highly doubt that a _mutt_ like _**you**_ could afford to own a piece of high-level of KaibaCorp technology."

Jou frowned at the brunette's sneer, but didn't back down. "I know- but you don' pay for a car all at once, right?"

Seto just smirked. The blonde groaned. "Correction: Normal people don' pay for a car all a' once- they do it in 'stallments."

Kaiba looked thoughtful. "Sorry mutt, I don't do 'loans.' Not that you'd qualify." He mused calculatingly. "However, I think I may have a better solution."

The look on the CEO's face was devious, and Jounouchi swallowed nervously.

Kaiba pointed at the American-born duelist. "In exchange for the disk, _**you**_ will become an employee of KaibaCorp."

"What?!" Jou yelped in shock. "You ain't serious, right?!"

Kaiba smirked. "I most certainly am. In fact, I've been looking for someone to fill a lower position in our personnel relations department."

There was a moment of silence as the louder teen mulled it over. "So, I'd be, like, a matchmaker?" Jou titled his head in confusion. "I'm not sure I'd be good at that..."

 _'Give me strength...'_ The older duelist facepalmed. " _Personnel_ , not 'personal.' You would be working to help detect and ensure positive commitment and cooperation throughout the main office through daily inspections via physical and digital surveillance observation."

"...Eh?"

Mokuba finally chimed in. "You'd be spying on people in the building to make sure they're really working- and not slacking off or stealing!"

" _Oh_ , got it." Jou scratched the back of his head. "Er, I really don't think I'm the one you'd want for a job like this- I don't know much about business stuff."

"Understatement of the century, mutt." Jounouchi glared at the brunette. "But this job actually requires the opposite- someone who can ignore the professional-facade atmosphere and can tell me openly who my employees are- who works the hardest, who is the least efficient, who might be stealing or even a spy, etc."

The blonde tilted his head, still not completely following.

The teenaged business mogul steadily elaborated. "It's more effective to use someone who _hasn't_ already been influenced by office politics and relationships. Basically, I'm asking you to look at people you  don't know so you can present to me information with the least biased opinion."

Jou seemed to mull it over. "Awright- so you want me to spy on workers and see if anything's off?"

Kaiba smirked again. There was an unusual expression in those blue eyes that made Jounouchi nervous. "Basically, yes. You'll learn more about the job tomorrow. Be at KaibaCorp at 8:50 AM. Give the receptionist your name and she'll send you up to my main office."

The blonde hesitated- he knew if he accepted that he would be under Kaiba's thumb, and that could be a nightmare. But then he noticed Mokuba's tear-stained face out of the corner of his eye, and he knew how much this meant to the kid. He turned to his biggest rival and nodded. Kaiba held out his hand, and they shook.

Jou struggled not to freak out as he pictured all the things that could go wrong.

 _'Aw, crap... what did I jus' agree to?'_


	2. Chapter 2

Jounouchi Katsuya walked down the public sidewalk, mulling over the situation in his head. The heat of the early-summer sun was just starting to warm up the city.

'Well, at least I'll get to keep whateva' I earn.' The optimistic blonde reminded himself.

It would certainly be a big change from all the jobs in the past.

Jounouchi's father had gone missing several weeks ago. It wasn't that surprising, given the countless loan sharks and bookies he'd been dodging. In fact, all of Jou's previous 'jobs' (usually off-the-books affairs) had been set up so they could keep their miserable rat-hole of an apartment. But when the old man ran up even more debt than those jobs could ever pay, the poor excuse of a father abandoned his son and fled to avoid the bloodthirsty collectors.

Honda had stayed over the first few nights, in case any of the debtors tried to get something out of Jou. But thankfully there had been no sign of them.

It was strange, finally having a place to himself. Every one of his friends reassured him that it was for the best, but Ryou and Yugi knew from experience that Jou was still upset- absentee fathers were kind of their forte. He and Yugi had some long walks together, some of which ended in tearful hugs.

On the bright side, however; with his father legally declared truant, Jou's mother was required to send him child support. The hateful woman refused to have 'that man's son' living under her roof, and Jou didn't protest. Now he was in his own apartment- it was smaller, yes; but closer to school, and immeasurably cleaner.

Not to mention it was much safer.

But another job wouldn't hurt. He could save up some cash for community college, or maybe even a car. Jou had never been much for cars, but then Mr. Kubo had offered him a job doing random errands around his auto shop. The teen soon became hooked, and he spent as much time after school there as he could. Now that the summer break had begun, he was going to have to balance this new day job as well as his evening shifts at the shop.

All too soon, the impressive and intimidating spire that towered above Domino was in sight. Jou was still trying not to panic as he marched up the steps of the enormous structure that was the KaibaCorp Head Offices building.

'What am I doin'? Rich-boy hates my guts- and I'm givin' him permission to make my life hell!'

The Brooklyn-born duelist had to force himself to keep moving several times that morning, and he nearly chickened out twice. But then he remembered the overjoyed look on Mokuba's face when the kid was sure Noah wouldn't be destroyed.

'...aw, what the hell. It's not like he can murder me in a crowded buildin', right? Especially not a buildin' he owns, monitored by security cameras only he can access, an' filled with security guards loyal only to him- oh, cr*p.'

The main lobby receptionist had been instructed to send Jou directly to the CEO's office, so she gave him a temporary pass-card and pointed out the express elevator.

The express elevator sped directly up to Kaiba's main office, and Jou stepped out onto 75th floor. The new employee's eyes went wider than Yugi's as he stared at the lavish décor. The secretary's desk was a deep, cherry wood, and her office chair appeared to be some sort of red leather. Several seats and tables lined against the walls; all of them looked very ornate and clean.

However, as much as he wanted to keep staring at the plush lobby; there was soon a *beep!* from the intercom, and the secretary told him to go through the doors to Kaiba's main office.

Jou only hesitated for a second before pushing past the heavy doors. The honey-blonde teen stood in shock as his eyes took in the elaborate office. There was a giant desk made from a rich wood, with several matching chairs in front and along the walls.

The cobalt-blue walls weren't empty, either. A large series of calendars and maps lined the wall on the left. They seemed to relate to the location of KaibaCorp's other offices and distributors. The right wall was also covered, but it instead showed various promotional pieces such as early drafts of posters for Duel Monsters Tournaments and KaibaLand merchandise.

"If you're done staring, mutt, I did call you in here for business matters."

Not even taking in the dog reference, the young blonde nodded dumbly as he sat down in one of the handsome chairs in front of Seto Kaiba's desk. The CEO's own office chair looked insanely expensive- the dark wood was covered by what looked like deep blue leather fastened with silver bolts.

Kaiba immediately started explaining the main responsibilities of Jou's new job. It wasn't terribly hard- today he would just be looking over the security cameras. He was expected to notice anything that wasn't 'conducive to the company's operations' or, as a frustrated Kaiba finally put it several times later, "Just take notes on anyone who's goofing off or stealing something!"

Jou asked a few questions, but they were all fairly reasonable, saving Kaiba from further annoyance. They were all easily answered, and soon both duelists felt more at ease.

"You have a decent knowledge of the Duel Monsters trading card game that we produce, and the electronics that we design and distribute to accompany that and other children's games. That's part of the reason why you will be working this position- I'm guessing even you can recognize whether someone is working on something related to our products or not."

Jou frowned slightly- was that an insult? It was hard to tell with Kaiba's professional tone.

But the executive continued before Jou could say anything. "I have an open slot right after 1 o'clock- you will give me a summary of what you've learned at that time."

"Er, awright."

"If things go well today, then tomorrow you will be introduced on the actual work floor as a new go-fer. This will give you the plausible excuse to run between floors and check on people. Any questions?"

Jou blinked and raised his hand awkwardly.

"Yes?"

"Erm, Kaiba? What's a rodent got to do wit' any of this?"

The brunette just stared.

...this was going to be harder than he originally thought.

After another set of explanations and instructions, Jounouchi was guided to a specific security office and handed the keys and codes necessary to do his job. The nervous teenager did as he was told, and began scanning the many screens lining the small office. Each one corresponded to a security camera located somewhere within the massive building's infrastructure. Every floor of the KaibaCorp office was equipped with multiple cameras- and although Jou was only responsible for a few floors, he still had plenty of screens to watch.

1 O'clock finally rolled around, and the blonde was ready when the lead executive strode in, exactly on time.

"So, have you found anything of significance, mutt?"

Jou ignored the barb and gave his first report. "Well, ya see that guy?" He pointed at one of the farthest security camera screens. "Look at what he's doin'- he's workin' on coding, but he ain't from your IT department. So why is he working in HR when he looks like he's got a talent for computer stuff?"

"Interesting... it seems as though he's merely working on a personal project, but nothing harmful or treasonous." Seto turned to look at his newest hire. "I'm surprised, mutt- you said that you weren't very familiar with computers."

The other boy shrugged. "Yeah, well, the computer down at the shop is, like, prehistoric; an' when it breaks I always try 'n fix it for Mr. Kubo. He's older and not so good with technology."

"Hm." The CEO turned his attention back to the monitors. "What else?"

The blonde then pointed out a few other minor incidents- a receptionist who kept pulling out a romance novel whenever no one was looking; a man who seemed to be chatting online whenever he wasn't being watched; and a very seedy looking man who had stolen several lunches from a break room fridge.

Kaiba had to admit, the boy had an eye for noticing the 'off' things; however he also needed to find any traces of espionage or theft (on a larger scale than two ham sandwiches and a burrito, that is).

"Not bad, but I will expect you to work on recognizing larger issues as well. I'll check back on you later this evening, and tomorrow we'll discuss moving you out onto the actual work floor."

Jou did a mock salute. "Yessir!"

Seto rolled his eyes as he walked out of the room. The faintest glint of a smile appeared on his face as he strode up to the elevator.

It seemed as though he had made a rather productive decision after all.

Unbeknownst to the two duelists, Jou's productivity was about to get a violent check.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days went quite well. Jounouchi wasn't exactly the most... refined person; but his friendly nature made him excellent at low-key HR surveillance. In just one week, Jou had already helped Kaiba switch around several employees who felt they were more suited for other departments. Mr. Katsuya also listened to suggestions from his co-workers, and brought up the most important ones to his boss. The teen had even uncovered a (very minor) case of corporate espionage.

Jounouchi had an eye for noticing what the other workers were feeling, or even hiding. He wasn't the world's best actor, but he was very active and open to everyone, and could tell when someone wasn't on the level.

As the work day ended, the business persons gradually began to file out of the KaibaCorp offices. Soon the building was mostly empty. Without the other employees around, there wasn't much reason for Jounouchi to stay, so he was permitted to leave as well.

Without a car or a bike, Jou usually walked back to his apartment. One of the younger receptionists would sometimes give him a ride, as she lived a few blocks parallel to Jou. But unfortunately, she could only do so when she didn't have to work late.

And given that she was an upper-level KaibaCorp employee, such nights were pretty rare.

As he reached his small apartment, Jou's mind was wandering, and he failed to notice three rather large figures shifting in the shadows of the stairwell.

He had just found his keys when he heard footsteps behind him, and a hostile voice growled deeply. **"Where is he?"**

The next few minutes were a blur of fists and shouts, but everything faded as he fell on the steps, unconscious.

 _*Beep! Beep! Beep!*_

Jounouchi Katsuya groaned as he moved to reach for his alarm clock. But he yelped in pain when he tried to move his arm.

"Jounouch-kun! Please, don't try to move! You're hurt!"

"Eh? Yug'?" The blonde duelists groaned as he opened his eyes. He blinked when he saw a blindingly white room.

'Aw, cr*p.'

He instantly recognized the sterile smell of a hospital.

Jou blinked again, and noticed a multicolored group standing around his bed. Yugi's crazy hair was the most obvious, but Ryou's almost blended into the snow-white walls. Honda's brunette point stood the highest, and Anzu's cut was also visible. There was also an unknown lady with pale, cyan hair wearing a nurses' uniform, waiting nearby.

"Urgh... anyone get the number of that truck?" Jou tried to kid, but the others didn't laugh.

"Jou! Man, what happened?!" Honda's dark eyes were wide with shock- it'd been ages since he'd seen his bud looking this bad.

"Eh, I just got on the wrong side of some jerks. There were lookin' for my dad outside my apartment."

"But Jounouch-kun, didn't you have the locks changed?" Yugi asked tremulously.

Jou shook his head but didn't drop his smile. "Yeah, but the bastards jumped me before I got inside. They were waitin' for me."

Honda was beside himself. "I shouldn't have let walk home alone! Cr*p!"

"Take it easy, Honda-man; I'll be fine! Jus' give me a day or twenty."

Anzu gave a forced smile. "Do you want us to bring you anything?"

"Er, a change a' clothes might be nice." The blonde flushed slightly. "But other than that I think I'll be fine- they ain't gonna keep me long for this."

The four friends did their best to reassure the patient that they would tell Kaiba that he would be out for a few days. Jou also was insistent that _no-one_ inform Shizuka- here he gave Honda an extra-hard look- as there was likely nothing his sister could do. He didn't want to worry her for no reason.

Eventually Anzu had to leave for her dance lessons, and Honda reluctantly followed shortly after. He kept insisting that it was his fault, and it took all of Jou's patience not to yell at him for being so dumb.

The nurse left right after Honda, so only Yugi and Ryou remained with the blonde. They talked for a while about random stuff (Jounouchi regaled them with tales of the lavish upper-offices of the KaibaCorp building- he didn't need to exaggerate anything, as the truth was ridiculous enough).

They were in the middle of a humorous 'debate' on why Kaiba needed such a large office (Yugi insisted that Kaiba threw wild parties when everyone else was gone- Ryou suggested that he was a secret agent who had weapons and computers hidden all over the room- and Jou stated that it was barely big enough to hold his over-puffed ego) when they were interrupted.

"Mr. Katsuya-" An older doctor walked into the room. His expression was solemn. "We've received information from the Domino Police regarding your assailants. The men who attacked you have been found and arrested. However, there's a pressing matter that I must discuss with you- alone."

Yugi's eyes were wide and Ryou swallowed nervously as they stepped out into the hallway.

Several minutes went by, and although Ryou and Yugi could hear faint voices, the doors in the recovery unit were too thick to make out any distinct words.

Yugi had his fingers intertwined and was rubbing his thumbs together anxiously. Ryou knew that whatever the doctor was telling Jou, it probably wasn't good. It didn't take this long to deliver good news.

Several minutes later, the doctor stepped out of the room and the two visitors peered inside.

"Jounouch-kun?" Yugi nervously called.

"C'mon in." The patient's voice was eerily listless.

Yugi nervously traipsed inside, and Ryou followed, unsure if he was intruding.

Jounouchi's head was hanging low, and it seemed like he had to force himself to look up at his friends.

"The doc had some... bad news."

Yugi anxiously looked into the injured blonde's eyes.

"He said that one a' the men who attacked me- he's been in prison before, an' they got ahold a' his records." His words were eerily dull and his eyes looked like they were glossed over.

"He's listed as bein' HIV positive."

Absolute silence fell over the sterile room. Nobody even blinked.

Yugi felt the words repeat over and over in his head, drowning out everything else.

'HIV positive.'

'HIV positive.'

'HIV positive.'

He was broken out of his stupor when he realized Jounouchi was still talking.

"The doc says there's not a big chance that I was... but there was a lot of blood an' he's worried..." The blonde gulped heavily. "...so, yeah... he wants me to get tested soon."

There was a loud noise (something between a squeak and a sob) and Yugi flew at Jou. He nearly pushed the patient off the bed with the force of his hug.

"Uh, Yug, maybe you shouldn't touch me." Jounouchi looked revolted to even have to say such a thing.

Yugi buried his head into Jounouchi's shirt and squirmed defiantly. "No way! I'm hugging you whether you like it or not!"

Ryou wiped away a tear just in time to see a faint smile ghost over Jounouchi's face.

"You do know yer getting snot all over my shirt, right?"

"I'm doing that whether you like it or not, too!"

Both Jounouchi and Yugi were crying with smiles on their faces. Ryou ducked out so they could be alone for a moment. The pale-haired teen closed the door behind him, and ran into one of the last duelists he expected.


	4. Chapter 4

"Kaiba!" Ryou stared in confusion. "Why are you visiting the hospital?" The quiet teen gasped in concern. "Oh no; is something wrong with Mokuba?!"

Seto Kaiba glanced down at his concerned classmate and sighed tiredly. "Mokuba's fine. I'm actually here to check on the mut- er, Jounouchi. I have the distinct feeling that he won't be coming in to work for a while."

The paler duelist felt his stomach sink- he knew he couldn't tell Kaiba what just happened, and he doubted Jou would want him to know anyway. Ryou could only nod in silent assent, his thoughts growing grim.

 _Just when things were looking up, everything came crashing back down_ _on_ _the_ _spirited_ _blonde_ _._

Kaiba gave a single, unceremonious knock, and opened the door without further notice. Ryou followed behind the taller man.

The lofty brunette walked in smoothly, ever the composed business magnate.

"Hnn. You sure put yourself through a lot to get out of a few days of work."

Jounouchi didn't move, and Yugi and Ryou followed suit, not responding. All three still had streaks of dampness on their faces.

When his barb was ignored, Kaiba felt something twinge inside his chest. "So, what happened? I take it there was a struggle?"

There was a very forced laugh, followed by a cracking voice. "Yeah, yeah; very funny, moneybags." The artificial smile on Jounouchi's face was scary in its unreal-ness. "I just got in a lil' scrap with some old gang buddies- no big deal."

Kaiba raised one eyebrow. "...I find it insulting how you believe your pitiful acting skills could fool me."

Jou rubbed the back of his head in a clearly forced show of nonchalance. "Yeah, well; I ain' tryin' to match wits wit' ya, Kaiba. I got in a fight- relax, I'm used to 'em."

"Hmph. Hard to imagine why someone with such a sensible and stable temperament would feel a need to fight. But still, I need an estimate as to when you will be returning to KaibaCorp offices as a full employee."

Once again, nobody spoke or faced Kaiba.

"I'm sensing a pattern here. It's obvious that something deeper is in play." Kaiba gave a challenging stare to the other three.

Ryou frowned and implored, "Kaiba, please- I think Jounouchi-chan's had enough for one day. You shouldn't pressure him about his personal wellness right now."

"..." The CEO nodded. "Fair enough. But I do need to discuss some KaibaCorp employee matters with Mr. Jounouchi. If you could excuse us for a while." Kaiba's tone was curt but civilized.

After one last hug from each of them, Yugi and Ryou filed out of the room, both struggling not to cry again.

The older man waited for the door to close again before he pulled out his briefcase. "Now then- as a KaibaCorp employee, you are naturally part of the employee's health care program. With regards to the

hospital costs, you are not entirely covered; however there will be a payment plan set up so that you can repay KaibaCorp by submitting a small portion of your paycheck every week. I'll explain."

The blue-eyed boss made a motion to the patient. "Shift aside." He ordered the blonde. Jou growled but shifted his butt over just enough.

As Jou moved, his arm, with only a short, thin hospital-gown sleeve to cover it, slid in front of Kaiba's face. The CEO noticed something on the skin before he flipped open his briefcase.

"You seem to have quite a collection." Kaiba muttered while he sifted through his briefcase.

"Eh?"

"Scars, mutt. You have a lot of scars."

Jou rolled his eyes, "I told ya, I used to be in a gang. How exactly do the scars surprise ya?"

"Because those weren't made by kids."

Jounouchi froze at that statement.

"Wha- whaddya mean, Kaiba?" He tried to keep his tone light. He chuckled nervously. "A' course they weren't made by kids; we were outta grade school!"

The sharp, blue eyes narrowed in scrutiny. " _I mean,_ those injuries weren't made by someone your age. They were made by someone much older."

Jounouchi tried to chuckle but could only gulp. "... an' why on Earth would ya think that?"

The older duelist was fed up with the blonde's dodging. He slammed the briefcase shut.

"Cut the crap already, mutt! Those injuries were clearly made by someone taller than you!" He grabbed Jounouchi's shoulders and pointed to the marks. "Those cuts are all pointing downward, not on an angle or side-to-side! And since you're rather tall yourself, whoever caused those injuries must have been even taller- and likely older!"

Jounouchi struggled not to give in. "So what? You're taller than me and we're hardly a year apart!"

Kaiba's mask of indifference was starting to crack. "These aren't marks from a minor scrap between two kids! These are the scars from someone beating the hell out of someone who can't fight back!"

The blonde just glared, daring Kaiba to say those three words; the words that he dreaded for years.

"Who did this?"

The bed-ridden boy looked away, gritting his teeth.

"Jounouchi. Who. Did. This."

The fact that Seto Kaiba, the stone-cold duelist with no sentiments or regrets; was actually asking for an answer with his real name, broke Jou out of his stupor.

Kaiba waited impatiently as the blonde looked down at his hands. His shoulders slumped. But eventually Jou spoke in a very lowly tone.

"...doesn' matter. He's gone, anyway."

"If he's gone, then how the hell did you end up in here?" Kaiba's words were challenging, but not in a mocking way.

"..." Jou was still looking down, trying to figure out how to lie.

"Jounouchi." The strong voice eased back and spoke very calmly. "What happened? Why did you get hurt again?"

The injured duelist muttered something. "...tell."

The brunette's gaze narrowed. "I didn't hear that."

The blonde gulped heavily. "...please...don't tell everyone."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. 

_'Is the mutt really_ _so_ _wrapped up in that friendship garbage; that he would worry about them_ _now_ _?'_ But he nodded seriously.

"Fine. Talk."

"The men who attacked me... they weren't lookin' for me. They were lookin' for my pops."

"Your father?"

The younger teen sighed. "He's made alot a' mistakes in the past, an' apparently these guys loaned him money or somethin'."

Kaiba's eyes widened very slightly. "And why would your father take up such a loan?"

Jou fell silent again. Years and years of covering up his father's lifestyle had built up a strong wall. It wasn't so easy to tear down, even a bit.

"Jounouchi." Again, the use of the duelist's real name seemed to bring his attention back. Kaiba noted this. "What kind of mistakes did you father make?"

It took a while before Jou started speaking again, but Kaiba's exceptional calmness helped him relax some of the stubborn, barbed wires wrapped painfully around his heart.

"Back when it was all of us- my mom, my sis, and dad... things were great. We had a good home, an' we were really happy. But then dad lost his job. He was too proud to let my mom work, so he tried to find somethin' else... but he found drinkin' instead."

The taller duelist waited, silently urging his rival to go on.

"My ma was scared- he got angry a lot and threatened her an' my little sister." Jou's eyes momentarily lit up with fury. "He never did anything, but he broke a lot of bottles and stuff."

Kaiba held back his comments, and the inpatient sighed. "One day, my ma had enough. She took Shizuka an' drove off. I watched them leave." His voice trembled slightly.

"Only your sister?"

Jounouchi shrugged. "Ma thought since dad never really threatened me, I'd be okay. She later told me that she knew I'd turn out like him someday."

Kaiba remained silent, but inside his stomach was churning- how on Earth could a mother justify those kind of acts and words?!

Jou cracked an odd smile. "It's weird, but I'm kinda glad. If I had gone wit' them, dad might've tried to find us all. This way, my sis was safe. An' we got to see each other again a few years later."

The brunette remained silent. The story sounded hauntingly similar to his own- hadn't he willingly limited his time with Mokuba, to ensure that Gozaburo only focused on _him_?

"So, your father has been attacking you for several years- and now his loan sharks are after you as well?"

Jou let out a laugh, but quickly grabbed his chest in pain. "Ack!"

The older duelist flinched slightly, but neither of the two teens noticed.

Jou soon recovered. "Nah, they just thought I knew where the old man was hidin'. They won' bother me again."

The blonde's indifference was really starting to irritate the multibillionaire.

"And what happened to him? You say he left?"

The other teen nodded. "He left a couple o' months ago- I dunno where he went, but I ain' exactly heartbroken."

"And what if he comes back?"

Jou rolled his eyes. "Then he'll find an empty apartment that ain' his anymore. He doesn't know where I'm livin' either." He paused stubbornly. "An' he ain't gonna find out."

"But apparently his debtors did." Kaiba coolly pointed out.

Jounouchi frowned. He really hadn't thought about that... but those men weren't exactly friends with his pops... would they actually tell him if they found him?

"What did Dr. Yoshihiro need to speak to you about?"

Jou smirked. A small twinkle came back in his eyes as he wagged a finger. "Nope! That's confidential, Kaiba."

But the shrewd billionaire had an even bigger smirk on his face. "Not exactly, mutt. I may not have access to all of your current medical records, but I can easily look at anything else on file."

"Wha?!" Jounouchi winced as he spontaneously leapt upwards. "B-but you- you can't do that!"

"Actually, if you review your KaibaCorp contract, you'll find that I can. As your employer I have a right to an estimate regarding how long you will be hospitalized. In this case, the nurses can pull up your past records and used them as a point of reference."

Jounouchi frowned. "That doesn't seem legal."

The older Kaiba grinned in his (typically) arrogant manner. "Perhaps you should learn to read things before you sign them, mutt."

Jounouchi gazed downward again. He couldn't decide whether or not to trust Kaiba. The logical part of his mind was warning him that his long-time rival could use it against him- that he could tease him mercilessly, or even blackmail him.

But when had the Brooklyn fighter ever listened to his logical side?

"It was- well, they- uh..." He paused and rubbed the back of his neck once more. It was hard figuring out how much he wanted Kaiba to know. "Apparently this guy, one a' the ones who messed me up- they say he has that... HIV... thing."

Kaiba's expression was grim. His eyes widened in initial shock, but after a moment of silence they returned to normal. He nodded in discernment. "I see... I'll admit, I wasn't expecting something quite so... grave."

Jounouchi instantly bristled. "Hey, look here, _pal_ \- just 'cuz I might be dyin' doesn't mean you can talk about burying me!"

The brunette knew it wasn't appropriate to hit a hospitalized man. (But, damn, was he sorely tempted) _._

"I suggest you invest in a dictionary, mutt- the word 'grave,' when used as an adjective, and not a noun, means that something is very serious or dangerous."

"Oh... I knew that."

Kaiba groaned. "I'm certain you didn't. Anyway-" he stood up, "I have business to attend to. I expect to be notified within 24 hours of your discharge. We'll discuss your work schedule then."

Jou looked surprised, but nodded.

The tall brunette had just reached the door when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Hey, moneybags."

Kaiba stopped walking but didn't turn around.

"Ya know, you're not such bad company." Jou grinned. "When you're playin' nice."

"Hnn." The man thought of a few retorts, but decided it was hardly fair to kick the dog when he was down. "Get well soon, mutt." The CEO strode away, leaving Jounouchi bewildered by the (fairly) civil words.

"Yeah... thanks."


	5. Chapter 5

A few days after Jounouchi was discharged; Ryou, Yugi, Honda, and Anzu were sitting in Jounouchi's apartment with him. They'd decided to celebrate his recovery with a pizza party and a movie.

The kid's movie the group was watching was funny; but Jounouchi and Honda seemed far off, and Anzu was worriedly glancing at them every five minutes. Only Yugi, Honda, and Ryou knew why Jou was so downcast. It seemed a little cold, but Jou didn't want Anzu to worry about him- he knew how she was about her close friends.

There was a sudden knock at the door, startling everyone. Jounouchi got up, wincing slightly as he headed to the front door. He opened it to find a very tall brunette waiting impatiently.

"Eh? Kaiba?" Jounouchi looked baffled. "Er, what're you doin' here?"

"I'm looking to rent an apartment." He frowned in annoyance. "What the hell do you think I'm doing here?"

Jou couldn't think of anything besides the obvious.

"You came all this way to make fun of me?" Jounouchi squinted. "Man, you really need a hobby or somethin'."

The blue-eyed teen narrowed his eyes. "NO. I did not travel to this _enchanting_ neighborhood just to tease a mad dog."

The blonde glowered. "Look here, moneybags- this may not be much, but it's still my home. An' I don't let anybody trash me or my friends in my own home, got it?"

"Hn. Fair enough." There was a moment of awkward silence. "Well? Are you going to invite me in, or not?"

"Oh- uh, sure; c'mon inside." Jounouchi, surprised, pushed the door open all the way and watched as the serious duelist strode into the living room.

"Hello, Kaiba." "Hi, Kaiba!" "Hello." Ryou, Anzu, and Yugi gave various greetings. Honda flat-out ignored the other brunette. It irked him how much the smug CEO had harassed his closest friend.

Kaiba gave a quick nod. "Evening. I've only come to discuss something important with my employee." He turned to face Jou. "Can we talk in private?"

Jounouchi was startled by the request. "Er, sure, I guess-? My bedroom's down this way."

Kaiba strode calmly after the shorter individual. Jou went into the room first, and Kaiba closed the door behind himself.

"Here." He held out a thick manilla envelope with a special seal on top. The seal read, ' _Medical Records- DO NOT OPEN._ '

Jounouchi stared, clueless. "What's this?"

Kaiba was certain another hospital visit was imminent in the blonde block-head's immediate future.

"Your test results."

"Eh? Wha' results?"

Kaiba struggled not to shout. What other test results could the mutt be waiting for- pregnancy?!

"The _test_ _results_ from your examination."

"But- wha-how- those were supposed to take weeks!?"

The brunette shook his head. "KaibaCorp has several labs that work on the material components of our technological products. One of them also happens to have a contract with a medical laboratory. They have a larger staff and can run things much faster than the hospital."

Jounouchi glanced at the envelope nervously. "So that's-"

Kaiba held out the envelope, but Jou didn't move. He was staring at the envelope as if it would bite.

"I'm not going to stand here all night, mutt." Kaiba sighed and tapped his foot. "And I can't legally open that seal. So either take it, or show me out."

Jounouchi was physically trembling, but he managed to reach out and touch the folder. His hands were sweating as he quickly ripped open the seal and slid out the papers.

He quickly glanced over the ones that fell out first, but every page was written in heavy medical jargon.

"Dammit, I can't even understand this crap!"

"Yes, I presumed as much. Hence, the reason why I'm here." Kaiba deftly plucked the second sheet from the stack and handed it to Jou. "Here. This should be simple enough for you."

There was virtually no malice behind those last words, but Jou was too preoccupied to notice.

"Official results of testing for Human Immunodeficiency Virus onset as obtained from-" Jou mumbled out loud as he read. "-tests reveal that as of the two week marker, patient #43192, Jounouchi Katsuya, is HIV negative..."

Suddenly Kaiba realized that he should have left the room before that last sentence. Especially given all the empty cans of pop and energy drinks he'd seen in the living room.

" **YAAAAAHOOO!"** The blonde pumped his fists in the air and ran around the room shamelessly. " _AWRIGHT!_ This is awesome!"

Kaiba jerked as he felt a great force crushing his abdomen.

"Get off me, you dumb mutt!"

"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!" Jou yelled in his ear before letting go and running into the hall.

Kaiba groaned and rubbed his temples. Perhaps he should start a division of KaibaCorp that focused on hearing aids. He had a feeling he would need several pairs if the crazy blonde kept working at his company.

Jou quickly rushed into the living room, but before he could address his baffled friends, Seto strode through.

The rich man turned to the over-excited renter and smirked. "Just a reminder, but you'll need to get checked again in another month; as a precaution." He made a mocking face. "So be sure to make an appointment with your veterinarian soon."

"Grrr... if you weren't my boss, I'd tackle ya, moneybags!"

Seto only nodded to the group in farewell before stepping out into the night.

Jou quickly explained to the group what had happened, and how Kaiba had his samples sent to a private lab for him. Everyone looked extremely relieved. Anzu was rather annoyed that she hadn't been filled in; but she could guess how difficult it must have been, and didn't protest (much).

Ryou, on the other hand, was much more surprised. The pale teen gasped at the news. "Wow Jounouchi; Kaiba-san must think you're very important!"

"Eh?" Jou frowned. "How's that?"

"Well, just think of the risk he took- he sent the blood of a young male to a large lab for HIV testing- can you imagine the field day the press would have if that ever got out? They would never believe that the sample wasn't Kaiba's own!"

Jou's mouth dropped open. "Damn."


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, Jou decided to head downtown to see the one person he'd thought about the most over the past few weeks. He was thrilled to finally be able to visit again- he'd been so busy lately. Jou knocked on the apartment door and waited for it to open.

"Shizuka!" He smiled widely as he saw that long hair. "How's my favorite sist- OW!" Jounouchi yelped as his sweet, beloved little sister grabbed his ear and pulled him inside. Jou winced as he was led into the front hallway, where he saw Honda already standing.

"Jounouchi-nii-san, how dare you! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Shizuka, please!" The former gangster was cowered by the irate girl's wrath. "I don' even know what your talkin' about!"

The upset pre-teen finally let go of her sibling's lobe. She shook her head and folded her arms.

"Mom's been working late this month- and when I had an after-school event to go to, Honda offered to drive me!" She pointed to the sharp-haired brunette, and Jou instantly turned to leer at him. "I could tell something was up, and I forced him to spill the beans. So don't blame him for your lying!"

Honda gulped as Jou glared at him. The brunette anxiously shook his head and mouthed, _'She's scary!'_

Jou groaned and grabbed his little sister's hands. "Shizuka, _please_ ; calm down- there was nothin' that any of us could do bu' wait for the test results, an' I didn't want you gettin' all worried over nothin'. The doc said there was a really low chance of anythin' even bein' wrong, so I didn't want you to get worked up an' distract you from school and your friends."

The red-haired sweetheart seemed a little calmer, but her expression remained skeptical.

"Look, if the results had been positive, I would'a told you as soon as I was ready. I promise. But I'm never goin' to make you afraid if I can help it, got it?"

Shizuka still looked worried but nodded. "I'm happy you're alright, big brother."

Jou wrapped his arms around Shizuka, but as they hugged he formed a fist behind her back with one hand and pointed at Honda with the other.

"And don't you dare threaten Honda, either!"

It was freaky how she could tell when he was doing stuff like that. Or maybe it was just obvious from the look on Honda's face.

"He was so worried about you- he nearly tore his hair out!" Shizuka explained defensively. "That's how I knew something was wrong!

"By the way, what _are_ you doin' here?" Jou gave his oldest friend a scrutinizing look.

The sharp-haired brunette rubbed the back of his neck and gave a fake laugh. "Erm, I was just... in the area?"

Shizuka smiled pleasantly. "I have another after-school event to go to- my literature professor gives extra credit to anyone who attends the school play. I just need to write a short summary afterwards. And the tickets are free!"

"Tickets?" Jou squinted at his friend.

The only non-duelist nodded. "They were free, and I thought it'd only be fair to ask Honda if he wanted to see the play with me!" She gave the dark-haired teen a grateful smile.

Honda shrugged and grinned. "What can I say? A high-school version of 'Cats' might be good."

"..." Jou had never known his oldest friend to be a theater fan, but decided it wasn't worth bringing up.

"We have to leave soon, but I'm glad to see you're well, big brother." Shizuka gave her only sibling a hug, her eyes glossy with relief. Honda merely waved 'goodbye' as the suspicious blonde tried not to look displeased. Jou made his way down the concrete steps, his mind whirling as he made his way back home.

'Well, that coulda gone better. But a' least she's not worryin' about me...' The former street-brawler scowled and ran a palm over one fist. '-Still, that idiot better not think he's getting' off scott-free for this! Shizuka gets free tickets, an' suddenly he becomes a theater enthusiast? That knucklehead prob'ly thinks 'The Merchant of Venice' is a pizza parlor! Tch.'

Still, there was no doubt that Jounouchi Katsuya's heart was much lighter as he watched the setting of the Japanese sun through the train's windows.

The next day, the teenaged head of KaibaCorp was making his rounds when he came across an unusual sight. There, in the camera monitoring station, was a strangely slumped figure. The strict boss could see a messy tangle of blonde hair hanging over the station's wood desk.

Kaiba snorted in disgust. The mutt was half asleep; his chin resting heavily on the top of his left hand. Without any preface, the brunette stepped next to the sleeping employee and loudly cleared his throat.

"You need to learn to stop partying so late. I don't tolerate my employees sleeping on the job."

Jou jumped before straightening up. "Oh, right. Sorry." He groaned as his back clicked.

The wealthy socialite scowled. "And try to take a shower more than once a year; you're filthy."

"Eh?" The younger teen blinked in obliviousness. Kaiba's face twisted as he pointed to the back of the blonde's neck. "Oh! Sorry 'bout that- must've missed a spot."

The new employee grabbed a tissue and wiped the mark off the back of his shoulders.

The CEO saw how difficult it was to remove the dark smudge. "That looks suspiciously like motor oil."

Jou nodded casually. "Yeah, the shop's pretty busy right now- sometimes stuff gets a lil' greasy."

The brunette paused. "Mutt, do you mean to tell me that you're still working for KaibaCorp _and_ that auto shop?"

The younger duelist shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"That's another job on top of your full-time position here. You're clearly driving yourself into a sleeping disorder." The corporate leader raised an eyebrow. "Why do you still have another job? Surely I'm paying you enough?"

Jounouchi laughed awkwardly and waved his arms. "Oh no, you pay more than enough! I'm jus' helping out Mr. Kubo 'til he closes the business. He's old, an' he wants to retire soon."

Kaiba stared in firm skepticism. "You aren't even being paid for your time?"

Jou shook his head. "Nah, I like helpin' him out- I love cars, an' he's been real nice to me. Heck, he gave me my first job when nobody else would."

The shrewd billionaire stared at the blonde. "And why, exactly, would someone not hire you?"

The seated employee sighed. "Well, I was underage, for one thing- an' then there was my dad... he had a rep' for owin' people money and tanglin' with the wrong crowds... I guess everyone figured I was trouble too."

"Hmm." The KaibaCorp head looked bemused.

"Anyway, I'll ask him if I can leave a lil' earlier dis week."

"I thought you weren't getting paid- why would you need to ask him if you could leave?"

"Eh?" Jou tilted his head. "Oh, well there's still a lot to do... plus, I made a promise ta help him, an' I don' go back on my promises."

The taller of the pair snorted. "Such admirable asininity."

"Oy! Who you callin' an 'ass-a-ninny'?!"

The CEO groaned. "Mutt, I _swear_ : I will have a new dictionary delivered to your address twice a month until you read the damned thing."

Jounouchi pouted. "Yeah, well, I think there's more important stuff in life then your big words."

Kaiba smirked- he couldn't understand why the mutt continually took the bait; but damn was it ever entertaining.

"So you feel that there are more crucial 'things' than polishing your vocabulary to a level higher than that of a stray canine?"

"Grrr... cut it out wit' that 'dog' crap again!" Seto decided not to point out that Jou had immediately responded by snarling, and listened to the 'dog' talk. "And yeah, there's lots more important things- helpin' people, spendin' time wit' your friends, takin' care of your family... you don' need fancy words to do any of that."

"Hm." The wealthy boss. "An honorable sentiment. Nevertheless, this isn't the Neolithic Era- if you wish to succeed, you need brains. And seeing as how you are sorely lacking, it might be prudent to at least be able to _present_ an intelligent facade."

Jou blinked several times. "...Yeah, exactly."

"...You have no idea what I just said."

"None whatsoevah."

Resisting the urge to facepalm, the CEO sighed instead. "Right- in which case, wake up and _**stay**_ up- you're earning a paycheck here."

"Sir, yes sir!" Jou gave a mock salute and turned his attention back to the monitors. Seto merely snorted and stepped back into the large hall.

After finishing his daily overseeing, the rigid tycoon returned to his own opulent office to review the many files awaiting his signature.

Nearly two hours passed by, with few interruptions. The wealthy business magnate frowned. He had glanced over hundreds of pages of tedious reports this afternoon- apparently there was some sort of copyright issue in the developmental department- and his mind was starting to drift.

" _No modified version of the XCL Software code may be used unless explicit consent is obtained through the corresponding Copyright Holder_ _for all embedded parties_ _... this restriction applies to any subsequent,_ _large_ _assets..._ "

Seto snorted to himself. 'I can just picture the mutt reading this- laughing at every other sentence- 'explicit consent,' 'large assets,' 'embedded parties...'

The stoic executive didn't even notice the faint smile that spread across his normally reserved face.

But he was taken from his musings when his personal office line suddenly rang. With a sigh, the CEO picked up the phone- he swore it would be easier just to have the damn thing grafted to the side of his head...

"Seto Kaiba speaking." He paused, waiting for a response.

"Ah, greetings Kaiba-sama! This is Genba Yoshihiro- of Matsuko Industries? I was wondering if you were able to arrange a meeting between ourselves and the head of the Kurotora Company? You see-"

The over-enthusiastic man was droning on and on- it took nearly twenty minutes to get him off the line.

The annoyed executive rubbed his temples as he pressed his intercom. "Ms. Tamaki. I would like my lunch in my office within the next twenty minutes."

He could practically picture the polite girl bowing her head as she answered. "Of course, Kaiba-sama."

The CEO found himself thinking on that crazy mutt again, but he brushed it off as concern- he was still weighing whether or not it was a good idea to have hired the klutzy duelist.

He pulled up his security console (purely out of professional observation), and typed in the right access code. A few moments later, he had the security camera controls set up, and he chose the department and floor.

When he wasn't monitoring, Jounouchi usually only ran between fifteen to twenty-five different floors.

After ten minutes of searching, he caught a mess of blonde hair on the fourth floor that he checked. Three of the cameras filled the screen, showing a mildly active row of cubicles. Kaiba zoomed in on the final row, and he could clearly see the blonde talking to one of the newer employees (he rarely bothered to remember their names; there were too many).

Jounouchi appeared to be explaining something- the girl had been about to head down the stairs before he stopped her. She had several stamped envelopes in her hand, and was listening respectfully.

The light-haired hire took one of the envelopes and walked over to the mail drop on the wall. He pulled the small handle down and put the envelope in the opened slot. The girl watched as the letter slid out of sight, down to the mail room. She looked ecstatic, and Kaiba swore she almost tried to hug the personnel worker. Jounouchi just waved down her gratitude with a grin, and moved on to the next floor.

Kaiba frowned- who the heck had trained that girl, and how did she not even know where the mail slot was located?! It was fairly distressing. However, it was clear that hiring Jou to minimize corporate disruptions was proving to have been a good decision.

The tall brunette halted his thoughts. 'Wait, 'Jou?' No, that's just the name on the paycheck- he's the 'mutt.' Nothing else."

And yet, for some reason, the business tycoon devoted an unusually large chunk of his afternoon to stalk- er, _observin_ _g_ the youngest employee through the surveillance cameras.

What he saw was almost as frightening as it was impressive- clearly someone had done a horrible job in training many of the newer staff members. Jounouchi was actually doing more than he ever would have expected- he fixed a jammed copy machine, ran multiple documents between floors, managed to speak with numerous employees (taking notes as he did so), and helped carry several very heavy boxes of written sales records to the elevators.

Oddly enough, the blonde didn't seem to take a lunch break, either. He only grabbed a bag of chips from a vending machine, sitting down for just a few minutes.

'Interesting...'

However, being the youngest CEO in Japan does not come without its drawbacks. Soon the harried executive was back to answering the usual deluge of phone calls and paperwork that seldom allowed for wandering thoughts.

But thoughts of 'the mutt' would prove harder to quell in just a few more hours...


	7. Chapter 7

The business day winded down in the usual manner; with the higher-ups of KaibaCorp slowly allowing their underlings to head home, before they followed suit. Of course, their diligent young CEO was usually the last to leave. It wasn't often that Seto Kaiba stepped into his private elevator with the intention of heading home early. Yet today, for some reason, he felt compelled to give in to Mokuba's frequent requests for a 'family' meal together.

Meanwhile, the only other teenager in the building was also stepping into a different lift. Jounouchi had ended up clocking out a little later than usual that day- things had been quite hectic, and he was finally running out of steam. As the elevator finally reached the main floor, he stepped out to find that he wasn't alone. Apparently his boss was also on his way out.

"Hey! Boss-man! Wait up!" The blonde called to the (slightly annoyed) executive. Nevertheless, he waited, and soon they were both walking out of the crowded front lobby together. There were still plenty of employees filing out of the building or running around with last-minute changes and requests. Frankly, Jou was impressed- did KaibaCorp ever truly 'shut down' for the night?

"Man, now I know why yer so grumpy all the time- this place is crazy!" The blonde rubbed the back of his head and yawned. "I'm beat!"

Kaiba smirked as they stepped through the polished main doors. "Hnn. I do hope you're not trying to go back on your agreement due to a little hard work."

"Eh? Oh, no way! Ya gotta be tougher than that to keep this guy down!" Jou grinned and gestured at his chest with his thumb. The taller man rolled his eyes but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly up.

"Well, see ya tomorrow, boss!" The younger hire started walking away from the building.

"Mutt."

The Brooklyn native turned around.

"Eh?"

"What are you doing?"

The fair-haired duelist tilted his head. "Erm, I was gonna head home now- did you need me to do somethin' else?"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "You do realize I've been to your apartment, correct?"

The blonde blinked. "Uh, yeah- you went inside an' all."

The corporate magnate was being uncharacteristically patient. "My point is, I know how far away you live. And I know you don't own a car- do you have anything arranged?"

"Not tonight, nah. S'okay, it's not raining or nothin'. Don't worry, Mr. Moneybags, I won't get lost." Jou joked, but the stricter duelist didn't flinch.

"I think the more pressing concern is if you can make it through the door with your limbs intact. You were attacked on your own front steps, not some random sidewalk."

Jounouchi frowned. He wasn't sure how to respond to that- true, Honda had offered to take him home some nights, but he was working more and more...

"Hurry up, mutt." The lofty CEO strode past the blonde, barely waiting as he stepped to the curb.

Jou watched as his boss' driver came around and opened the door of the extravagant black limo. The American took a moment to think it over- it didn't _s_ _eem_ like Kaiba was mocking him, or trying to trick him. So the shorter teen gave a slight shrug and jogged after the top executive.

His eyes lit up as he saw the limousine close-up- he'd almost forgotten how absurdly wealthy the other dragon duelist was (why the heck did he ever go to Domino High?!).

"Hey Roland! Long time no see! How are ya?"

The driver looked pleasantly surprised to see the upbeat blonde. "Master Kaiba, Master Jounouchi. Good evening." He didn't say anything further, but he gave Jou a wink and a quick smile, which the other returned.

Jounouchi waited for Kaiba to sit down before sliding in. Kaiba was a little miffed that the mutt sat only three feet away from him. It was a _limousine,_ after all- it wasn't as though there weren't plenty of other seats!

" _Man,_ plush ride! We sure don' get babies like this down at the shop!" Jou looked around, impressed by the inner workings of the luxury vehicle. He looked over everything- the door locks, the screen consoles, the motorized privacy divider...

The amateur mechanic began muttering comments to himself as he inspected everything. No doubt the eager teen thought he was being quiet, but Kaiba could still hear every word. Two ice-tinted eyes narrowed in annoyance as the other passenger continued talking.

"Ah, so then that's gotta be attached to the- and if that's the- but this one's gotta be smaller than standard..."

Just as the brunette was about to snap, the blonde sat back again and sighed dreamily. "Man, this is a beautiful machine you got here. Always nice to see somethin' a little diffren' from the average car."

Kaiba snorted. "Only a 'little' different?"

Jou shrugged. "Well, technically the frame work isn't that different than a stretched-out sedan- I mean, for example; if you were to take the inner console of a 90's Lexus and take out the-"

Apparently Jounouchi hadn't been exaggerating when he said he liked cars. He had a decent knowledge of 'common' vehicles, and soon Kaiba found himself conversing with the blonde. He knew a bit about the various automobiles that he owned, and could help Jou compare and contrast the features of the 'typical' car and those of recent luxury models.

"Ah, right." Jounouchi paused the conversation as he noticed what street they were on. "Well, here's my stop- thanks for the ride, Kaib-aaaaand we passed it." He blinked as neither Kaiba nor the driver seemed to react. "Erm, is everythin' ok? I mean; you don' have to stop if you don't wanna be seen here; I should be fine. Just let me know when it's awright for me to get out."

The brunette billionaire only raised an eyebrow as he glanced sideways at the other passenger.

"Don't you think it's a little presumptuous to expect that I would have Roland drop you off before myself?"

Jounouchi looked a bit abashed. "Er, sorry... I thought it was sensible, seein' as how it's on the way..."

Kaiba waved a hand in dismissal. "Never mind."

Shortly after, the shining limo pulled up to the illustrious gates guarding the Kaiba mansion. Roland opened the perimeter section with a remote. He then guided the limo up to the front entrance, before jumping out to open the door for his employer.

Without a moment's pause, the older teen stepped gracefully out of the vehicle. He turned around and stared expectantly at the still-seated Jou.

Kaiba frowned. "Well?" He made a sweeping motion with one hand, gesturing towards the main door.

"Well...? Oh!" The blonde grinned sheepishly. "Righ', sorry about that! I always forget stuff I already said!" The blonde gave a partial bow from the backseat. "Thanks very much for the ride, Kaiba-san!"

"..." The mansion owner was wondering how he could have an employee on his staff as dumb as his mutt.

 _'Wait, what did I-?'_

"Seto!" A shorter figure smashed into the unfocused CEO. Seto just chuckled and hugged his little brother.

"Hello, Mokie. How was your day?"

Mokuba grinned. "Pretty good! We were playing football in gym class and I took the first- wait, who's in the limo, Seto?"

"Hey munchkin!" Jounouchi called as he struggled to extract himself from the back seat. "Whoa, I think you grew taller!"

Mokuba looked at the passenger in disbelief. But Jou only grinned as he finally stood up.

"Oops, turns out I was jus' shorter- my mistake."

Mokuba smirked. "Oh yeah? Well, just you wait, Jou! Don't forget, I'm a Kaiba!" Mokuba proudly pointed to his chest with his thumb. "And I'm gonna be taller than you one day! Maybe even taller than Seto!"

A ghost of a grin flitted across the older brother's face.

But Jounouchi laughed. "No way, then you'll have to raise all the door frames in the mansion! And some of the ceilings, too!"

Mokuba just stuck his tongue out.

Although the mutt's humor was sophomoric at best; Mokuba did seem to love it. Kaiba watched the two joke around, and he teetered somewhere between admiration and jealousy. He would never have that casual sense of humor- nor that everyday, open camaraderie. Then again, maybe it wasn't so surprising; Seto understood the canine's energetic lunacy, but he had no desire to join in.

Honestly, he couldn't stand the crazy dog.

"Mutt, come on. I know you didn't eat lunch today, and our chef is still on duty."

So why had he just invited 'the dog' for dinner?

The Kaiba's evening meal was far livelier with the golden-haired duelist sitting at the table.

Jou smiled earnestly at the smaller brother. "So, what'd you do today, Mokuba? Did ya have any pop quizzes?"

The raven-haired boy shook his head. "Nope, we don't get many of those. Our teachers are pretty cool." He paused for a moment, looking upwards in thought. "Oh, but we did play football today!"

Jounouchi blinked. "Eh? Isn't that a little dangerous before you get to high school?"

"He said 'Football.' Not 'American' Football." Kaiba explained curtly before going back to his meal.

"O-h, gotcha. So you guys played soccer?"

Mokuba frowned. "No, we played football. What's soccer?"

Jou began explaining the difference, and soon the two got into a mild argument.

"But it's called 'football' because you use your feet! You can't use your hands." Mokuba pointed out.

"Yeah, but the American 'football' has been around longer! So it got the name first!" Jou folded his arms in satisfaction.

The older Kaiba couldn't resist bursting the blonde's bubble. "Actually, mutt; American Football wasn't officially recognized until the mid-19th century. Football, or 'Soccer,' has been documented since the 13th century; possibly earlier."

Mokuba stuck out his tongue in victory, but unfortunately Seto saw him.

"Mokuba! You are not allowed to stick your tongue out at the dinner table!"

Jounouchi grinned and stuck his own tongue out, leading Kaiba to glare at him furiously.

"What? You said 'Mokuba'." He pointed at the kid, who was now snickering.

The (fully) mature adult closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "You're lucky to be sitting at the table, mutt. Dogs usually eat on the floor."

But the other (barely) mature adult shrugged. "Hey, this stuff's great, I don't care what plate it is or isn't on!"

"I'll be sure to pass the compliment along to the chef." Kaiba remarked dryly.

The rest of the evening passed quickly, with Jou and Mokuba talking nearly nonstop. And although Kaiba found himself somewhat annoyed, he had to admit it was nice to hear other people talking enthusiastically about the little things in life (rather than pretending to be interested in some boring business deals). He even found himself fighting down a chuckle once or twice.

Dessert was a rather strange affair, as Jou's eyes nearly popped out of his head when Mokuba told him he could order _anything_ he wanted from the chef. Seto anticipated a massive order of pastries or confectioneries, but Jou surprised him. The blonde only asked Mokuba what he was having, and so they both shared a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies (with milk mustaches, of course).

Eventually (to Mokuba's dismay,) Jounouchi had to head back to his apartment. The Capmon champion waved goodbye as Roland drove the fair-haired duelist home. The younger Kaiba brother looked a little dispirited... until the last window rolled down just enough for Jou to stick his tongue out at them. Even the older Kaiba snorted lightly- the blonde was incorrigible.

Mokuba was still wiping tears of laughter from his eyes when he tugged on his brother's hand.

"Seto?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we have Jounouchi over again sometime? He's really funny." Mokuba asked pleadingly.

The older Kaiba groaned- why was he cursed with such an adorable brother?

"We'll see, Mokuba. Don't forget, he has another job some nights."

"Oh." Mokuba's face fell slightly, but then he perked up. "Oh, I forgot to tell you what else happened today! You know how there's that one girl with the black hair who's always-"

The other Kaiba smiled and listened patiently. Mokuba was even more animated than usual tonight. He had to admit, the mutt's lively nature did bring a certain energy to the mansion.


	8. Chapter 8

As the weeks went by, Kaiba began inviting the golden-haired employee to ride home nearly every night. He always explained that it was Mokuba's idea, and that he was reluctant to disappoint his younger sibling.

At first Jounouchi had to decline most days (as he was still helping with the auto shop). But Mr. Kubo slowly began lessening his business, and the fiery duelist accepted more and more. Mokuba was always delighted to have the energetic teen stay for dinner, and they often played video games or watched movies. Sometimes they managed to drag the elder Kaiba along, but he usually had too much work to do.

The evenings went well, and soon even the staff members were growing used to seeing Jounouchi running around the mansion. They were mostly very fond of the blonde- true, he was somewhat klutzy and loud. But he was always courteous and honest; with a genuine respect for everyone he met.

However, there was one particular exception to this group: a very ambitious maid, who resented the loud-mouthed visitor. She could hardly wait for an opportunity to banish the boy.

Unfortunately, she didn't have to wait long.

It was yet another typical evening in the Kaiba mansion- although Seto had joined his sibling and Jou for supper, he'd adjourned shortly afterwards. He instructed Mokuba to finish his homework before playing any games, leaving Jou alone downstairs. The Brooklyn duelist managed to make himself comfortable on a large couch in front of a very large flat-screen TV. He was still flipping through the channels (what cable package did Kaiba have, with over 500 channels?!) when he heard a familiar pre-teen voice.

"Jounouchi?" Mokuba was peering around the door frame.

"Hey, what's up shortstop?" The foreign-born duelist sat up and stared suspiciously. "Wait a sec', aren't you supposed to be doin' your homework? Your brother's gonna flay me alive if he thinks I'm distracting you!"

Mokuba shook his head rapidly. "I already finished everything- we only had math and science homework today."

"Did you get it all?"

The dark-haired boy nodded as he entered the room. "It wasn't hard- we've been talking about photosynthesis for days, and math was just basic geometry again."

Jou squinted, but couldn't find any hint of a lie. "If you say so... so, what's up? Did you wanna rematch at MarioKart?"

Mokuba looked down, almost nervously.

"Jou? Can I ask you something?"

"Eh? Sure, what's up?"

The younger Kaiba brother was shifting from side-to-side, and he seemed oddly hesitant.

"Well, um- I overheard some of the staff today. They were in the back of the kitchen and they didn't notice me... but they were talking about Seto."

"Eh?" Jounouchi didn't want to gossip about the mansion staff, but if Mokuba was upset... "What'd they say?"

"Well, I didn't really understand everything, but they kept laughing and saying that my brother has to be 'gay'."

Jou's eyes widened and he struggled not to panic. He had a feeling what the munchkin's question was...

Sure enough, Mokuba started frowning. "I don't get it- they made it sound like Seto was being weird or embarrassing." He looked up expectantly at the other duelist. "Jounouchi, what did they mean when they said that Seto's 'gay'?"

"Eh-heh-heh..." Jou rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Erm, I don' think your brother'd be happy if I said anything- that's somethin' _he_ needs to talk to you about."

Mokuba pouted. "But he won't talk about it! The last time he heard that word he nearly jumped through the ceiling!"

'Huh, that's weird... I wonder if- nah.' The Brooklyn boy tried not to look at the smaller Kaiba, but made the mistake of glancing sideways. Instantly, he was assaulted by the most brutally adorable chibi-puppy-eyes that were ever pouted.

"Aw, come on, man!" The blonde held out his hands in defense, but they just couldn't stop the guilt. "Not the eyes! Leave a poor guy alone!"

But Mokuba knew that Jou was an even bigger sap for the chibi-eyes than his brother. The pint-sized duelist didn't let up, and eventually the blonde had no choice.

Jounouchi smacked his own forehead. "Awright! Awright! Enough already! Sheesh... fine."

The raven-haired boy crossed his legs and sat patiently, apparently expecting a lengthy discourse.

Jou contemplated what would make the 'big, bad brother' angrier- Jou (gently) knocking the kid out and putting him in his bed, or Jou explaining part of the whole 'birds n' the bees' thing.

Mokuba was still looking up at him with wide, expectant eyes.

 _'...crap.'_

"Ok, uh..." He began looking around desperately for some kind of help. His eyes landed on a random DVD case that someone had left on a side table. Praising the gods of untidiness, he triumphantly pointed to the plastic case.

"Ah-hah! Ok, so you've seen lotsa movies, right?"

The pre-teen nodded, listening.

"Ok, so- y'know that in a lot of movies there's a main character, an' most times it's a guy. An' then there's another character, a girl, an' she falls in love with him, an' he falls in love with her, or somethin', right?"

The Capmon champion nodded.

"Well, uh, bein' 'gay' means that the main character's a guy, but then the person that he likes is also a guy." The honey-blonde teen paused in thought. "Or, sometimes it's a girl n' she likes another girl. Either way, bein' 'gay' is when you like someone of the _same_ gender, instead of the _opposite_."

Mokuba frowned. "Oh... that's not what I thought. I thought it meant that you're not dating anyone."

Jou shrugged. "Well, someone can be 'gay' an' 'single'- they're not muta- mutuw- aw, dangit."

The raven-haired imp just giggled. "I think you mean, 'mutually exclusive.'"

The older duelist leered wryly at the smarmy grade-schooler. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. You Kaiba's think you're so smart. This isn't my first language here, ya know."

The younger boy smirked. "That's no excuse, my brother knows a ton of languages!"

"Oh yeah? Then how's it that he doesn't know how to say 'please' in any of 'em?"

Both boys laughed loudly, unaware that a shrewd maid was spying on the chuckling duo.

The tall blonde wiped a happy tear from his eye. "Ah, but seriously, you should never make fun of someone for bein' gay. That was really rude of those staff workers."

The dark-haired boy didn't need to voice his next inquiry.

Jou's face fell as he spoke. "See, a lot of people don' like gay people, 'cuz they think there's somethin' wrong with 'em. But there's not. It's like bein' born with blue hair- it's not the norm, but it doesn't make someone _bad_. Does that make sense?"

Mokuba nodded, quickly getting the analogy.

Jou practically breathed a sigh of relief- that went a lot better than-

"So, is Seto gay?"

 _'-oh, double crap.'_

Now the blonde was starting to wonder if it was too late to carry out his previous idea of 'Operation Unconscious Mokuba'.

'Damn, rich boy owes me for this one...'

Instead of attempting a KO, Jou waved his arms outwards in a pacifying denial. "Erm, well; that's something really, _really_ personal, small fry. I don' know; an' it's not my business to know. BUT-" He poked the kid's nose- "it's not _yours_ either."

"But I'm his brother!" Mokuba slightly whined.

Jou sighed and nodded. "I know, I know- an' if the world was perfect, that'd be fine for you to know. But, it's not. Remember what I said: a lot of people are _really_ mean towards people who're different. If (an' I  mean _if_ , since you an' I don't know nothing, got it?) your brother ever does decide to tell ya what his dating life is like, then you can ask questions. _**But nothin**_ _ **'**_ _ **until then**_ **,** ok?"

The seriousness of those last few words nearly made the younger Kaiba jump, but he could see why Jounouchi was so serious about it. His big brother was a very private person, and it sounded like being 'gay' was a big deal.

"Alright..." he admitted sulkily. Once again, the blonde closed his eyes and almost sighed in relief. Alas, poor Jounouchi didn't notice the wicked grin that briefly flashed across Mokuba's face.

"Ok, but I still have one more question."

The older duelist looked apprehensive. "Erm, what's the question?"

The younger Kaiba titled his head innocently and gave his sweetest look. "Where do babies really come from?"

There was a choking sound, followed by a rather loud 'thunk!' as the mortal coil of Jounouchi Katsuya made complete and sudden contact with the richly carpeted floor.

"Jou? Jooooou?" Mokuba watched as the thin teen slowly began to stir.

The blonde moaned as he sat up. "Urgh... wha?"

Mokuba looked torn between regret and amusement. "Geez, Jounouchi, I was just kidding."

The golden duelist just stared blankly before falling over again. Mokuba stared as the teen's eyes stayed shut.

"Oh, that's not good... Jou?"

 _'Wait for it... wait for it...'_

Mokuba leaned in closer. "Jou?"

"...GRAHHH!" Jou jumped up and growled playfully. Mokuba screeched but then started hitting the blonde's chest with half-hearted punches.

"Jounouchi, you're a jerk!"

He grinned from ear to ear. "Hey, fair's fair, half-pint!" He then proceeded to pull out his secret attack: the boogie-noogie.

"Ack! No! Not the hair! _Not the hair!_ Seto, help meeeee!"


	9. Chapter 9

(A/N: Short chapter, so uploaded early- thanks for reading! :)

Jounouchi was making his way cheerfully down the hall of the 39th floor at KaibaCorp's main office. The day was almost over, and he had slept great last night. Partly because of the fun he had at the mansion- he had actually beaten Mokuba at MarioKart! Ok, so the score was now 7 to 138, but still; a win was a win, right?

But, the lanky teen was also glad because he didn't have to help out at Mr. Kubo's shop today. The old man was really winding down the business.

Jou watched as he saw the head of the company himself marching towards him. He was moving hurriedly and his face was grim.

'Geez, doesn' that guy ever smile? The day's almost over... he needs to chill out.'

The blonde smiled as the other duelist approached. "Hey, Mr. Kaiba, how's- _U_ _R_ _RK_ _K_!" Jou felt himself being lifted off the ground by a powerful grip.

" _You d_ _a_ _mn_ _ed_ _mutt- who the hell do you think you are?!"_ The blue-eyed duelist was absolutely livid.

"Wha-urg?!" The blonde was starting to feel frantic- his windpipe was being crushed. He squirmed wildly, but the taller brunette wouldn't let go.

The CEO lowered his voice to a furious hiss. "You told my little brother that I'm a _homosexual_ , and now he thinks that's true!" He glared accusingly at the struggling employee.

"Urgkk!" Jou tried to speak, but his trachea was still blocked. He felt himself weakening under the pressure.

The brunette viciously spat his words at the suspended duelist. " **You're fired**. I don't want to see you within fifty yards of my family ever again, _do you understand?!_ "

Kaiba then finally released his grip on the choking boy's throat.

Jou fell to the ground, staring at the white spots flashing in front of his eyes. He was too dizzy to stand up.

Without another word, the stone-faced corporate leader began smoothing out his suit and made to leave.

"Kai-ba."

Jou wheezed from the floor. He was rubbing his painful windpipe. "I just- wanted to hel-lp- he didn't-"

The brunette's arm shot out violently.

Jou flinched, and for one horrifying moment he expected a severe blow to the head. But apparently Kaiba had only thrown his arm out to point at the end of the hallway.

"LEAVE. NOW."

The blonde's breath finally returned, and he stood up quickly. His fiery attitude soon came back in full force. He glared at the billionaire.

"FINE! I don' need this kinda treatment! If I wanted my *ss kicked I'd go and find my pops!"

With one last glare at his ex-boss, the other duelist marched towards the stairwell as proudly as he could (with a faint limp from the fall).

Seto almost called security to ensure the mad dog didn't try and stick around. He was annoyed when he found that he didn't need to- he knew Jou would leave.

The enraged brunette soon headed downstairs himself. Roland could sense the fury radiating around his powerful employer, and he remained wisely silent on the drive home.

Kaiba stared out the tinted windows, glaring at nothing in particular. He remembered how Jou had responded- 'I just wanted to help.'

"Tch." That gossipy maid seemed to have been right- apparently the flea-bitten stray had said something inappropriate to Mokuba. Seto had never felt so disturbed- it was bad enough that the mutt could've spilled the beans to the public, but to corrupt his little brother?!

As advanced as the country was, Japan was still on par with many older nations when it came to attitudes on homosexuality. Many of the men in the world of high-finance were old, ultra-conservative bigots. If a powerful business magnate such as himself came out of the closet, it could ruin _thousands_ of lives. And Seto Kaiba, being the youngest billionaire in the business world, already came under great scrutiny for having attended public school and remaining single (when many traditionalists thought it more prudent that he marry ASAP; if only to give Mokuba a 'mother-figure').

It was hard, but he couldn't lose all of his business partners and investors just because he wanted to start dating. Besides, he had an empire to run and a brother to raise. He was busy enough handling the eternal chaos of the main KaibaCorp office. Or as the ever-so-eloquent blonde put it, the 'place is crazy.'

Hnn. Why did so much of the garbage that came out of his dog's mouth actually make sense?

'Wait- why the hell do I keep thinking of that mutt as 'mine'? No matter; that's all history.'

The limousine slowly rolled up to the door, and Roland jumped to open the door for him.

The corporate mastermind, for all his brilliance, still had no idea what he was going to say when-

"Hey big bro! Welcome home!"

*sigh*

"Hello, Mokuba." The older Kaiba's tone was unusually tense and somber. Mokuba noticed immediately.

"Eh? Seto, what's wrong?" He peeked into the limo. "Why isn't Jounouchi with you?"

"Jounouchi-san is no longer an employee of KaibaCorp, nor is he allowed on the mansion grounds."

"But- but why?!" Mokuba looked thunderstruck. "Big brother, you always said that he was a great employee! And he's really nice!"

The other Kaiba closed his eyes. "Jounouchi betrayed my trust on a very important matter."

"What?!" The younger boy stopped in his tracks. "But- but _Jou would never do that_! He likes working at KaibaCorp; he said so!" The smaller sibling was shocked, and he began matching his brother's quick footsteps. Seto didn't reply as he strode into the mansion.

"Why would he want to harm KaibaCorp?!" Mokuba was growing increasingly upset as they walked into the front hall.

The taller brother shook his head. "It had nothing to do with business. The fact is that he talked to you about personal matters- matters that were highly inappropriate- without my permission."

"But Seto, what are you talking about?! Jounouchi's never said anything bad!"

"I mean, I did not give him permission to educate you on the topic of homosexuality."

The raven-haired duelist just stared blankly. " _'Homo-sexuality?'_ What's that?"

The older Kaiba felt his veins instantly freeze. 'He didn't-'

The infamous teen forced himself to calm down. He took a deep breath and sat down on the closest couch. He motioned for Mokuba to follow him. The brunette looked directly into his brother's eyes.

"Mokuba. What did Jounouchi say to you?"

"About what?"

Kaiba nearly gulped, trying to figure out how to delicately phrase things.

"Yesterday- did he talk to you about anything unusual? Like, being ' _gay_ '?"

"Oh, yeah; that." Mokuba nodded mildly. "I asked him what it meant, but he tried to get out of saying anything, and then he was really vague... but it was something like 'gay people like people of the same gender' or what not." The kid shrugged. "He wouldn't tell me more- he just said that it's bad to make fun of people who are gay."

"And- what, exactly, did he say about me?"

"You?" Mokuba stared, even more confused. "Well, nothing- I mean, I told him what I overheard in the kitchens; how the staff thought you were gay- but he said that's your personal business and I'm not allowed to pester you about it without your permission."

"The- staff?" Seto's stomach twisted, and he felt nauseated.

Mokuba nodded. "They were making jokes and stuff, and I got mad at the way they were talking about you. I wanted to yell at them, but I didn't know what their words meant, so I got Jounouchi to explain it to me."

 _'Oh..._ _ **f**_ _ *****_ _ **ck**_ _._ _'_

It took all of Seto's strength not to hit himself in the forehead- what the _**h**_ _ **e**_ _ **ll**_ had he been thinking?! The mutt had always adored Mokuba, almost like he was his own brother. Why had he believed that nosy maid over the honorable duelist? She was going to face grave consequences, but first things first...

"Thank you, Mokuba. I fear there may have been a... misunderstanding." The tired CEO rubbed his temples- he could feel the beginnings of a major headache coming on. "I have to head out, but I will try and be back before you go to bed."

Mokuba pouted. "Seto, why won't you tell me what's going on?!"

The taller sibling sighed. "Because, quite frankly, Mokuba... I don't even know."


	10. Chapter 10

The blonde duelist sat on a worn park bench, tears running silently down his face. He'd come to this park many times as a kid- it was almost a sanctuary from his father. Being here now, though... it felt more like a prison. All he could think of were the memories from the past- all the times he sat here, trying to figure out what he did wrong, trying to stop the bleeding, trying to understand what never made sense...

He sighed and lowered his head. 'Maybe I'm jus' a magnet for trouble.'

His gaze wandered towards the western edge of town, where a wide building stood out- Domino High. His expression lifted slightly as he remembered the friends he'd met there. He would never forget how little Yugi- that shy, tiny pipsqueak of a boy who refused to fight- had proven to him that there was another life.

A life with people he could trust; a life with people who made him want to be a better person.

He refused to give up on that dream. He was the underdog, sure; but he would never give up.

As that phrase drifted through his mind, he could almost hear a snobby voice callously berating him from his memories.

 _'Dog!_ _'_

…

 _'Mutt!'_

…

 _'Stray!'_

The teen jumped up, snarling at the thought of those stupid nicknames. He shoved his hands in his pockets and began stomping down the paved path.

"Stupid rich boy. Actin' like I need trainin' or that I got fleas... Thinkin' I'm some kinda loser, just 'cuz I ain't a fancy talker, an' dresser, an' all that junk."

He kicked an empty pop can off the path. "Jus' another smug asshole like my dad- thinking' I ain't worth spit." He kicked another can aside. "It doesn' matter what I do; they're jus' too stupid to change their minds."

He continued grumbling to himself as he shuffled down the pathway.

"They don' understand anything important- couldn't even see why I'd help out Mr. Kubo. _Maybe_ it's 'cuz he's a nice guy, and he actually gives a crap- he wouldn't slam somebody to the floor, or try to strangle 'em like some _psycho_!"

Jou kept walking, unaware that he was being watched.

"They think they got everythin', but they're just clueless d*ckheads with nothin'." He rubbed his amber eyes with the back of one sleeve. "Yeah, who's gonna hold your hand on your deathbed? Not your vodka or your damned checkbook, that's for sure. Who's gonna hug you when you're cryin'? Not your Rolex or your whiskey. Who's gonna stand by you when you're sick or hurt? Not your credit cards or shot glass."

He sighed and sat down directly on the path- no one else would be out at this hour. He felt a little better after ranting. His thoughts turned to more serious matters.

"Righ', well... guess I better start thinkin' of someplace new to work." He frowned and stared at the pavement. "I dunno who's hiring, though..."

"I believe KaibaCorp has a position available." A tall, dark figure emerged from behind a wide oak tree.

Jounouchi positively yelped as he jumped. " _GA_ _H_ _H_ _H_ _!_ _Kaiba?!_ Don' _do_ that!"

Apparently scaring the wits out of the blonde wasn't the best way to appease him. The startled teen glared as he rose up from the ground. He quickly turned around and began walking away.

"Mutt, get back here." Kaiba winced as he realized he'd said the 'm' word again- it was a hard habit to break.

Jou didn't slow down. He yelled over his shoulder. "Sorry, _pal;_ but I ain't supposed to be within' fifty yards of ya, _remember_? I may be just a dumb street dog, but even I know that ain't fifty yards right there. So either you gotta scram, or I gotta leave."

"Mokuba!" Kaiba yelled at the retreating teen.

"Eh?" The other duelist turned his head back.

"That's who. Mokuba." The brunette spoke firmly. "That's who I'll have by my side when I'm sick or dying."

"You... you heard that?" Jounouchi's face flushed slightly.

The taller man nodded. "Every word- unless you said something before 'stupid rich boy.'"

Kaiba began striding towards the surprised teen, who quickly shifted into a fighting stance.

The younger boy growled. "Look, just because you got a lotta credit cards don't mean you can treat everybody else like trash. An' I sure as hell ain' gonna let you kick me around."

The CEO raised his hands in a conceding manner. "Relax, I'm not here to fight. I just don't want to lose my voice by yelling across the park all night."

Jounouchi kept his pose and raised an eyebrow. "And how do I know that you won't try an' strangle me again?"

It was then that Kaiba first noticed the beginning of a set of dark patches on Jou's neck. There would be several bruises there by tomorrow.

 _'_ _D_ _amn...'_ "Actually, I came here... to apologize."

Jounouchi blinked but didn't lower his fists. "Wha', you really think I'd believe you'd-"

Then the fair-haired duelist nearly fainted for the second time that week. Seto Kaiba, his biggest rival and arguably one of the most powerful men in Japan- **was** _**bowing to him**_.

And not some half-hearted gesture, but a full bow of sincere apology. Face down, arms bent, knees on the ground.

"I regret my actions, and I'm sorry that I hurt you. I misunderstood the situation with my brother, and took the word of a treacherous servant over yours. That was my mistake."

The honey-blonde teen watched, stunned, as the taller man went on, still bowing.

"You've done an impressive amount of work in the short time you've been at KaibaCorp. I would hate to lose a good employee due to my own... misconduct."

Jou scratched the back of his neck in disbelief. 'Man, dis dream is weird.'

"I haven't put in an actual termination order yet. Your job is still technically yours- if you want it."

The shorter youth was struck with awe- Kaiba sounded entirely sincere. Just what the heck was going on?!

"You should close your mouth before something flies in there."

Ok, that was more like it- the blonde still wasn't totally convinced he was awake, but he decided it wouldn't hurt to play along. Giving a short bow of his own, Jou replied to the executive.

"I accept your apology." The younger duelist quickly dropped the formal tone. "Besides, you were sorta protectin' your little brother- I know I'd strangle anyone who messed wit' Shizuka. But still, thanks."

Kaiba smirked. "And now, I expect you'll return the favor?"

"Wha-?" The amateur mechanic was lost.

"Well? After all, I'm expecting an apology from you as well." Kaiba raised one palm in expectation.

Jou stared in disbelief. "Eh?! An _apology_ from _me_?! You gotta be kiddin'- how the hell do ya figure that?!"

The corporate poster-child folded his arms resolutely. "In your little 'speech,' you compared me to your father several times. I resent that implication."

The coffee-eyed boy just huffed. "Look, moneybags; I'm tired, my throat hurts, an' I need to get home. If you really jus' heard me talking, you know how I feel about 'big words' and stuff."

The corporate magnate frowned. Truthfully, he'd forgotten. "I'm... sorry. This was the way that I was raised. I wasn't allowed to use 'slang' or anything that might be construed as a sign of weakness in the business world."

"You 'weren't allowed'?" Jounouchi stared. "Seriously?" He snorted. "Man, if I'd started talkin' all 'high and mighty' like that I would've been beaten black n' blue for ' _talkin_ _'_ _down_ ' to people."

"Hnn. Seems we had the same situation, only in reverse." Kaiba strode over to a park bench a few yards away. The other teen stared warily.

"Come here, Jou-" The brunette was secretly pleased that he managed to catch himself before he said 'mutt'- "You're not the only one who's had a long day."

The younger man slowly made his way over. "None'a dat funny stuff." He warned.

Kaiba couldn't help it- that was one of the heaviest examples of Jou's accent that he'd ever heard.

"None'a dat funny stuff. I swears!" Kaiba's imitation was almost impeccable.

Jounouchi burst out laughing. He couldn't help it- it was hilarious to hear one of the most prim and proper business leaders in Japan suddenly speaking with a bad Brooklyn accent. He sounded like a posh gangster.

"Aw man, you'd make a _terrible_ New Yorker- you ain't even got the  fire! Ya gotta be a little crazy!" The American-born teen thumped his chest proudly.

"I think you've gone past 'a little,' but I assure you, my imitations are impecc- er, perfect."

Jou snorted. "Oh yeah? 'Perfect,' you say? Awright rich guy, let's see ya top this!" The blonde cleared his throat before speaking. "I believe that my accent is far superior to yours, on the grounds that my accent is far more amiable and unconstrained."

The gaming magnate blinked. "That's... highly unnerving."

Jou snickered. "What, an' you as a hard-knockin' city-dweller from New York ain't?"

"Touche."

Their conversation delved deeper into the world of funny accents and cultural-isms. Several minutes later both teens were laughing, albeit one more loudly than the other.

"Who woulda guessed that the great Seto Kaiba actually has a sense of humor?" Jou grinned as he playfully nudged his boss with one elbow. "An' here I thought you _hated_ my jokes jus' as much as you hate me!"

The blue-eyed executive frowned. "I don't."

"What?"

"I don't... hate you." Seto Kaiba let out a sigh as he elaborated. "One of our maids lied to me- I believe she was attempting to secure a higher position on the staff... I didn't realize that she was dishonest until Mokuba corrected me. I was not trying to make up an excuse to hurt you or fire you." He turned to stare directly into his underling's gaze. "...I truly am sorry."

Jou just grinned his usual smile.

"Ya got a great little brother, moneybags- he looks up t'ya constantly. You're his idol, an' he heard someone sayin' somethin' rude about 'cha. 'Course he was curious- he didn't even know if he should be mad or not. So I jus' gave him a real brief idea on what it means to not be straight n' all."

"So... you never told him that I was... gay?"

The blonde shook his head. "Nah, that's your business, not- waitaminute, are you?"

Kaiba raised a thin eyebrow. "I thought it was none of your business?"

Jou held up his hands and waved his palms. "Right, right, sorry. But still, he wants to spend time with you- before you're sick or on your deathbed or whatever."

"Hmm." Seto nodded and stared ahead. Yes, things had been 'crazy' at KaibaCorp lately- perhaps Jou was right. "A good idea- it seems I will need to re-schedule some meetings in the future- I should at least be available for some dinners every week." He turned back to his employee. "Anyway, you have my apology... and my gratitude. Mokuba surprised you with a difficult question, but you responded in a very mature and open-minded manner. Truth be told, I was rather surprised by what he told me. I did not expect a former gangster to be so... accepting."

Jou shrugged. "Hey, most'a my friends are gay or bi- it don't bother me. 'Sides, I'm no hypocrite."

Why did that last sentence cause Kaiba's chest to jump?

"So, you're bisexual."

The light-haired youth nodded, his eyes trained thoughtfully on the starry Domino Skyline. "Yeah, I never told anyone in Hirutani's gang- I think they would'a killed me- but thankfully Yug' an' the group ain't the type to hate on someone for that."

The corporate executive mulled this over. "You said that most of your friends are gay or bi?"

"Yeah, most of 'em- 'cept for Honda. I'm just guessin' on a few of 'em, but I'm pretty sure Malik and his creepy clone are gettin' down."

The older boy grimaced. "I did _not_ need to picture that."

Jou just laughed. "You're welcome!"

Kaiba gave a faint shudder as memories filled his mind. "I still remember how those two disrupted my tournament... hm. That reminds me- whatever happened to that older girl who dueled the one freak? Wasn't she quite... close to you?"

"Huh? You mean Mai?" The amber-eyed teen blinked in surprise. "Yeah, we tried datin' for a while, but in the end it was too hard- she travels everywhere, an' I couldn't just ditch school. Also, she's a real party girl, an' it's kinda hard ta explain to your friends that your boyfriend couldn't get in the club 'cuz he's underage." Jou grinned sadly.

Seto gave a faint huff but didn't comment.

"I still care about her, an' we chat once in a while, but she's dating another guy now- I think he's a model or somethin'- but he sounds like a nice guy." The relaxed teen shrugged. "I guess their lifestyles fit better- who knows? Either way, I wish 'em the best."

There was a moment of silence between the two duelists.

"Jou."

"Eh?"

"...Thank you."

"What, for makin' fun of ya? Heck, I'm up for that anytime!" The blonde grinned playfully, but the billionaire only shook his head.

"No, I mean thanks for- talking to Mokuba when he had questions. I... forget that he's growing older." He sighed defeatedly. "Sometimes, I think I forget on purpose."

Jou smirked. "Hey man, it's cool- I gotta little sister, remember? Ya think I'm not gonna wanna pummel the first guys who try an' date her? But I can' stop her from getting' bigger- so I'll just be there when she needs me, and let her make her own choices- good or bad."

The businessman nodded in understanding. It was odd to think just how much they had in common, family-wise... and he was impressed by the other duelist's sage words.

"-unless it involves Honda or Otogi. In which case they're both dead if they so much as _look_ at her!"

The ex-gang member smacked a fist in his palm.

Kaiba shook his head as the illusion of wisdom shattered. "I thought they were both your friends? They _are_ in your..." Kaiba struggled not to roll his eyes "...little 'group,' right?"

Jou waved his arms about. "That's the problem! I know what kinda guys they are- an' I don't trust 'em! Not around my baby sister!"

"Your hypocrisy is staggering, m- Jou."

Amber-brown eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You were gonna call me 'mutt' again."

But the brilliant blue eyes just lifted in amusement. "I believe you're mistaken, Cat-suya."

" _Hey!"_

Seto Kaiba chuckled. Oh yes, this was faaaar too easy.

A short while later, the two left the park, and a familiar limo pulled up to drive them to their separate homes.

The ride back was interesting, to say the least- Kaiba remarked that Jou could contact the police if he wanted- he wouldn't stop him, as technically he _had_ assaulted an employee. He wanted to give Jou the chance to speak up, so no one would regret anything later.

At first Jou thought the great CEO was joking, but he was surprised when he realized the boss was serious. He then explained that he would excuse this instance- he wasn't that hurt. But Jou added one stipulation- that if Seto ever, _EVER_ raised a hand to him again (or even Mokuba), he would be on the phone faster than you can say 'Time Roulette Go!'

The taller man agreed, and the two struck a peaceful accord.


	11. Chapter 11

"-and again, my sincerest apologies for my previous copy's... indiscretions."

Jou only laughed and waved one hand up and down in a dismissive motion. "Forgetaboutit. Water under th' bridge."

The old computer monitor flickered slightly, and Mokuba glanced nervously at the glowing screen. "Noah? Are you alright?"

The virtual image of a young boy, with deep blue eyes and teal-colored hair, was looking back. "Yes, yes, I'm fine; just another processing task I have yet to move to the background."

"Don't let your CPU get swamped." The black-haired pre-teen warned. "I still haven't figured out how to transfer those .xpmf files over to a 64-bit system- and this is the only 32-bit computer in the entire mansion. If this old computer wears out, we're in a heap of trouble!"

Jou felt a bit lost as he watched the two boys squabble. 'Man, all this technical talk- hard to believe he ain't actually related to the other brothers...' The taller duelist was glad that Noah seemed to be doing good- well, he was in high spirits, at least. Seto seemed to tolerate the sentient projection, so long as there were no signs of aggression or deceit. Though Jou had a feeling that the 'big brother' had a few extra security measures secretly installed after the disk was brought in...

...not that he could completely blame him. After all, Mokuba and Noah _were_ working together to find a way to release the entity from his electrical confinement. But this time, Noah was _insistent_ on a fully cybernetic replacement for his body. Evidently he was still appalled by his predecessor's actions, and he wanted no part in 'human body trafficking,' as he put it.

The two younger duelists were still bickering when they were interrupted by a knock on the door. There was a moment's pause, and then a perky house servant with deep red hair looked in on the trio. "Um, Master Mokuba? Master Kaiba is waiting for you and your guest in the dining hall- your dinner is ready."

"Ok, thanks Kairi." The raven-haired boy nodded to the maid before turning back to the screen. "Sorry, Noah; it sounds like we're wanted downstairs. But I'll see you tomorrow night!"

"No problem- have a good evening!" There was no trace of malice as the digital illusion of Noah Kaiba waved 'goodbye' to them both.

The doors to Mokuba's unofficial 'work space' closed behind them quietly. As the two friends made their way down the hall, the blonde couldn't help but tease his 'host' a little. "Sounds like Noah's still resistin' some of those upgrades you wanted to install."

Mokuba let out a light huff as they made their way down the steps. "He's almost as stubborn as Seto. I don't get it."

Jou shrugged. "Maybe he's scared?"

"Scared? Why would he be scared?" The youngest Kaiba looked hurt at the thought of not being trusted.

"Well, it's nothin' personal, I'm sure-" Jou quickly reassured the preteen, "-but it's kinda like you're messin' with his brain, right? I mean, since he doesn't have a body yet, it's pretty much just those files- I can see how a guy might get a little uneasy if someone else was pokin' through his only thoughts with a mouse." The younger boy still didn't seem convinced, so Jou switched tactics. "I mean, hey- one wrong click and- _*poof!*_ -he's lost all of his potty-training!"

Mokuba snorted at the coarse humor, but his expression grew more thoughtful as they walked. "Hm... I'm not sure if I can make a back-up disk... those .xpmf files are tricky- _but_ I think I can set up an automatic system back-up to the mansion's main server... that should give Noah some more reassurance, right?" He looked hopefully at the lanky blonde.

Two amber eyes blinked in total bewilderment. "Er, yeah; whatever you said."

Mokuba suppressed a snicker- he knew Jou wasn't the most technologically savvy guy, but sometimes it was so funny to think of him working alongside Seto at KaibaCorp.

...still, the Capmon champ knew some gratitude was due.

"Jou?" Mokuba waited for the tall teen to glance down before speaking. "Thank you again; for saving Noah. I don't know if he'll ever be more than just a computer program... but at least now he's got a chance."

The older duelist blinked in astonishment. "Wha-!? Are ya kiddin' me?! He's already much more than a program! He's a friend! Right?"

The raven-haired youth tilted his head as he spoke. "Actually? I think I see him more like a brother. He's really not that different from Seto or myself."

'Tell me about it...' Jou hid his amusement as he remembered the techno-babble not five minutes earlier. "Well, either way- he's a lot more than just a program." Both boys were grinning, but Jou wasn't done with the 'theorizing.' "Nope, if you really wanna talk about robots and cyborgs- I still ain't so sure about your big brother." The other boy giggled as the blonde began speaking in a dramatic whisper. " _In fact,_ I think he may really be an android in disguise or somethin'- have you ever actually seen him eat?!"

Mokuba was nearly rolling on the floor with laughter by now. "Yes, I have- and so have you, Jou!"

"But are you _sure_ you've seen it?" The blonde jested. "Or was it just a video-hologram projected into your head to make you think he was actually eating? I mean, he's thinner than me! He can't possibly be ingesting the stuff!"

Poor Mokuba was nearly in stitches as they reached the doors of the dining hall. Jou put one hand on the ornate handles, but he didn't pull them open. "Nah, I think he's _really_ just eating oil and bolts, but he makes it _look_ like real food by adjusting those holograms he's invented."

Both of the duelists were chuckling when they were startled by a stern voice from behind.

"Or _maybe_ I have more table-manners than a stray terrier, and know how to eat without leaving remnants of my meal everywhere."

"Seto!" Mokuba smiled as he and Jou turned around. The brunette dragon duelist was staring at them both. "I thought you were already waiting for us!"

"I had to send a quick e-mail to HR." He frowned and glanced at the hungry duo. "No more late-night monster movies- you keep getting strange ideas."

Mokuba put on a pouting face as he let a little whine slip into his voice. "But _Set-o!_ I _love_ those old horror movies!"

"Which isn't a problem- I was talking to Jou."

"Hey!" Normally the KaibaCorp. employee would've protested more, but he was glad to see that Mokuba was laughing again. Even Seto had a faint grin growing on one side of his mouth. "Tch- an' how would you know? You probably don' even _watch_ horror films!"

The billionaire snorted in dismissal. "I _do_ sit through the occasional marathon with my brother- but I'll admit, it's been a while." The over-worked mogul glanced down at his sibling. "Perhaps tonight would be a good time for another binge-fest?"

Mokuba's eyes lit up, and he eagerly nodded. "I haven't seen the 'Universal Monster' movies in a long time!"

"Hm." Seto nodded once before blithely gesturing towards the other man. "You're welcome to join us as well, of course."

"S-sure." Jou stuttered with an odd smile. "The m-more the merrier, right?"

Mokuba was too excited to notice the other teen's trepidation. "I'll go get the blankets and popcorn!"

But Seto noticed the tremor in the security staff's voice. 'Odd... I remember the surveillance tapes from 'Death-T'- Jou was almost scared to death by all those theme-park horrors. Why would he stay to watch-'

"Hey Jou, I'm really happy you're joining us!"

The blonde gave an awkward laugh as Mokuba ran out of the room, the pre-teen's over-excitement evident.

'OH.' Seto wasn't sure if he felt more like sighing or chuckling. 'Well, this should be amusing. At the very least, it'll make Mokie happy.'

Almost four hours later, Mokuba was lying quietly on the couch, leaning against the leather armrest. His older brother was currently relaxing on the other end, sitting upright while his eyes watched the screen. The third member of their impromtu 'slumber party' was lying on a mess of blankets on the floor. An empty bowl lay next to him, a few errant popcorn kernels resting amid the salty bottom.

'Tch- you've gotta be kidding me. Is this supposed to be taken seriously?'

The latest movie they were watching was some cheap 80's film based on alien clowns or something. Given his history of advancing holographic technology, Seto Kaiba wasn't exactly impressed. 'This is the least horrifying horror film I've ever seen. The effects are worse than a third-grade production, and the characters are all terrible over-actors.' The cynical billionaire snorted. 'I think I even see some wires- why are we still watching-' Two blue eyes glanced down to find that there were faint snores coming from beneath the mound of raven-colored hair. Evidently Mokuba had fallen asleep before the movie really started. 'Ah. That explains it. Well, I guess Jou and I can finish this load of garbage- wonder if he saw the wires in that previous scene...' He glanced downwards at the floor, where Jou was currently concealed beneath an over-large blanket. Upon closer inspection, though, it seemed like the blanket was- shaking?

'He's- _he's not_ _actually_ \- no one would _truly_ be frightened by-'

The blankets jolted every time the music struck a dramatic cord, and it was all Seto Kaiba could do not to start laughing at the foolish pupp- er, mutt.

Jou was genuinely frightened by the low-budget, uninspired B-movie.

The next half-hour was spent with the two older duelists watching the campy film, all the way through the closing credits. Eventually Seto hit the 'stop' button on the Blu-Ray remote, and glanced downwards at the other teen.

" _Jou."_ Seto kept his voice low, still aware that Mokuba was sleeping next to him. _"Jou- the movie's over. Are you just going to sleep on the floor?"_

But the quivering blonde shook his head and anxiously replied- _"Can't sleep- clowns will eat me!"_

"Oh for the love of-" Seto dropped his voice back to a low whisper. _"Jou, there's no reason to be afraid of_ _clowns!_ _"_

" _Says you!"_ The blonde stubbornly retorted. _"You didn't have to look at tha_ _'_ _hideous thing Yug' dueled in Duelist Kingdom!_

" _You mean that slimy imposter Pegasus hired?"_ Seto frowned as he thought back to the pink-haired monstrosity that helped kidnap Mokuba. _"Tch- you gullible nitwit- that was just a disguise to intimidate the opposition! I didn't actually 'die'!"_

" _Oh yeah?! Prove it!"_ Jou frowned, clearly not pacified.

Seto snorted, but managed to spot a lone piece of popcorn still remaining in the bowl. He grabbed the buttery piece and popped it in his mouth. _"There. Ghosts don't eat."_

" _But clowns do!"_

" _People don't turn into clowns when they die! They turn into ghosts, you nitwit!"_

" _Maybe you're a ghost-clown then!"_

Seto was starting to lose his patience. _"Well then, I guess you're screwed; since you work for me! You have a contract, and I don't remember any legal clause mentioning that you could be released from said contract just because I'm a 'ghost-clown'!"_

" _But how do you know you're not really a clown?!" _ Jou countered.

" _Clowns dress in funny clothes, play odd children's games, and laugh weirdly to themselves! Are you saying that I do that?!"_

Jou suddenly bit his lower lip, and the billionaire realized the dog was trying not to laugh. The brunette glared as he quietly added: _"You do realize there is a 'work-for-hire' clause in your contract. Meaning I can fire you at **any. time.** "_

The blonde nodded, still not trusting his voice. A slight grin could be seen on the corners of his mouth.

Seto rubbed his tired eyes and sighed. _"Look, it's after midnight- go up to one of the guestrooms, and if you still can't sleep, call the security staff- they won't let any 'ghost-clowns' in the room, alright?"_ Although his words were slightly sarcastic, they seemed to placate the other duelist.

Jou gave a faint chuckle, clearly over his minor phobia. _"Sounds good. G'night, moneybags."_

" _Tch."_ The mansion-owner only waved dismissively as the other duelist marched off. _'Well, better go and get Mokuba's bed ready- hard to pull back the sheets once he's on top of them. He really is growing fast...'_ The tall figure sighed as he also made his way towards the stairs. Somehow, both he and Jou had failed to notice the faint green light that had mysteriously appeared on the couch when they'd started arguing.

Meanwhile, Mokuba quietly chuckled to himself. He'd woken up a few minutes before the movie ended, and had recorded the entire 'clown debate' on his cell.

 _'Never hurts to have a little blackmail material on hand... just in case Seto thinks of deleting Noah again... g'night, big Bro...'_

With that final thought, the tween drifted back into sleep, a faint smile on his face.


	12. Chapter 12

Things continued on, and eventually the two dragon duelists slipped into a steady routine. Mr. Kubo finally closed his shop, having made enough money to retire. He also gave Jounouchi a very generous cash bonus, insisting that he could never have made it without his help. The teen at first refused- Mr. Kubo was moving, after all; he would need some money for that- but eventually Jou relented as the man hugged him and shoved the bills into his jacket.

So Jounouchi became a full-time employee of KaibaCorp, working in their covert 'office relations' sector. He was rather talented, if not a bit over-eager, and he worked every weekday shift until the end of business. At which point he would meet Roland outside, who would dutifully drive him to the Kaiba Mansion.

Occasionally, Jou was able to drag Seto home early, much to Mokuba's delight. But if Seto seriously protested he would leave him be- he knew the massive stacks of paperwork on his desk weren't for show.

Truth be told, Kaiba rather liked being forced out of the office by the blonde. Sometimes he suspected himself of being difficult just to get the other duelist riled up. It was a daily game, of sorts- one that neither was willing to lose. Jounouchi was thrilled whenever Kaiba was able to come home right away, but he didn't pressure him when he couldn't. Instead, the large-hearted employee would fetch Seto a cup of coffee or something 'to munch on' as he worked. On those nights Roland (who was growing fonder and fonder of the spirited teen) would drive Jounouchi home before returning to pick up his boss.

Mokuba was thrilled to have someone home nearly every night to listen to his school stories and play games. Unfortunately; however, the younger Kaiba soon learned that as fun as Jounouchi was, he could also be strict about on things- although not as bad as Seto. But Mokuba still had to do his homework and chores before they could goof around with video games and movies.

Slowly, it evolved that Jounouchi would spend the night on weekdays, as well. The first time, Kaiba found him and Mokuba asleep on the couch; the Nintendo system still running. It had been a late night at the office and he felt bad about the two waiting up for him. So he took Mokuba up to his own room (he was getting heavier, Seto swore) and left Jou on the couch.

The next morning Jou apologized, but Kaiba waved him off and offered him a seat in the limo. Soon it became routine- work, go to the mansion, sleep over, wake up, go to work, lather, rinse, repeat. Jou really only visited his apartment on the weekends, but it was nice to have a place to hang out with the gang. Kaiba and Mokuba were usually invited, but only the shorter brother stopped by regularly. No longer very involved in KaibaCorp, the raven-haired duelist was always glad for a chance to duel with friends.

Several months passed, and the Kaiba brothers were starting to feel far more relaxed overall. Mokuba loved their new 'roommate,' as it were; and Seto was glad to have someone he could trust both working in the office and keeping his brother happy.

But the older Kaiba was currently watching Jounouchi as he moved about the 42nd floor of the building. He was glaring at the screen, his eyes unusually icy as he watched the figure racing about. He was not leering at Jou, of course; but instead at the newest secretary.

He felt his shoulders tense when he saw the bubbly hussy pestering Jou. Her long, orange-red hair was always fanned behind her, and she giggled constantly. Not to mention her business outfits were always just one toe above 'inappropriate.' But as annoying as she was, Kaiba didn't care about her, personally- rather, it was the fact that she was becoming a bit _too_ personal with his favorite personnel manager.

The busty redhead used any excuse to call him to their floor and touch the blonde boy- tapping his shoulder to get his attention, holding his arm for support as she leaned over a laptop, hugging him tightly after he helped her fix some- wait.

'She did NOT just do that-"

Seto gave the screen his fiercest glare, almost as if he expected the woman to burst into flames. The deceptive little trollop was clearly violating company policy.

Like many Japanese companies and offices, explicit displays of affection were prohibited at KaibaCorp. Sure, Seto would overlook this once in a while (like last month, when one of the 7th floor secretaries announced that she was expecting her firstborn) but he certainly wasn't going to make an exception for this... this... succubus!

The incensed CEO stormed out of his office, barely stopping to tell his receptionist to hold his calls. She was startled to see her boss fly out of his office, but she knew better than to question it.

Meanwhile, Jou was trying to find a way to escape the 'orange octopus' (as he'd mentally nicknamed her).

He finally managed to give her the brush-off, and the lanky employee rushed to the elevator. He was about to step inside when he realized he wasn't the only occupant.

"Erm, Kaiba?" The blonde blinked- why was the CEO using the general staff elevator?

But the affluent adolescent didn't offer an explanation. "Good morning. Is everything alright?"

The blonde awkwardly shuffled his feet as he stepped into the opposite corner of the elevator. The golden doors slid silently closed behind him.

"Actually... I was wonderin' if I could talk wit' ya."

The brunette feigned ignorance on what just happened. "Alright."

"I, uh, I know this is an odd request, but, um, I was wondering... ya know how I work on floors 30 through 45?

'Oh crap- he's going to request more time on the 42nd. Great.'

Jou awkwardly scuffed his shoes as he stuttered. "Would it be, er- is-is there some way I can, um; maybe switch the 42nd with someone? Jus' the 42nd ?"

'...what?' When Kaiba didn't reply, the blonde employee figured he'd made a mistake.

The younger duelist started waving his arms frantically in defense. "Sorry, sorry! It was jus' a thought; I know it migh' be a hassle, but I think it'll help me get more work done in th' end!"

Seto couldn't resist goading his rival a little more. "Hmm... you only want to switch one specific floor? That's an odd request."

Jou's face grew somewhat irritated as he pouted (in a manner even Kaiba had to admit was endearing). "It's just that the orange octopus won't stop- oh crap, sorry! I mean Ms. Yamagata! She's not a squid!"

Jou was shocked to see that Kaiba was laughing- faintly, but definitely laughing.

"It's fine, Jounouchi- I was actually going to have her sent to another department. Her work has been rather abysmal since she left the 18th floor."

The American-born teen looked relieved. "Thank heavens- I didn't wanna skip that floor, but she kept botherin' me like crazy!"

The older boy smirked. "Truth be told, she was annoying me too."

This led to a confused Jou blinking at him. "Eh? But I didn't think you'd even met her-?"

Kaiba tensed up, realizing he had almost been caught. But he wasn't an expert negotiator for nothing.

"No, but I do try and at least check out my newest employees- indirectly, if I have to. Particularly if they don't seem to spend much time working."

"Oh." Jou let out a grateful sigh. "Well, thanks Mr. Boss-man."

"Don't call me that."

"Oops, sorry- I meant to say, 'thanks, Mrs. Boss-man!'" Jou snickered teasingly.

"...you're gonna be working the 42nd floor exclusively from now on." Jou's snickering quickly stopped, but the 'Boss-man' did manage a faint smirk as they both stepped out of the elevator.


	13. Chapter 13

Two weeks passed, and the city of Domino was enjoying the last days of fine spring weather. It was another quiet day at the KaibaCorp head offices... no emergencies, no absences, and no major mistakes. In fact, one young employee was currently seated in front of several security feeds, yawning in complete and utter boredom.

'Man, it feels like I've been starin' at these screens _forever_...' The amber-eyed blonde groaned as he stretched in his black office chair. 'I don' know _how_ I'd handle it if I didn't get t' patrol the halls every hour!'

'Wait a minute...' Jounouchi suddenly stopped his movements. Something had caught his eye on the far right monitor. 'That's on the 39th floor... an' the guy in charge of that division is...' he glanced at the notes he'd posted on the side of the monitor screen- 'Mr. Toguro.' Jou frowned as he watched the middle-aged man bending over his corner desk, staring intently as he jotted something down with a pen.

'But what's he doin'? It almost looks like he's copying somethin' down from a website...' Curious, the security officer began fiddling with the controls for the specific camera above the man's office. Fortunately, Seto Kaiba insisted on the most up-to-date technology for all of his buildings, and the HD lens quickly zoomed in with minimal blurring.

Two walnut-colored eyes widened in shock as they followed the movement.

'That's-!'

Jou nearly fell over as he realized what the man was really doing- somehow, Mr. Toguro had gotten ahold of a signed, electronic document sent to the other KaibaCorp heads by Seto Kaiba- and he was using the image as a reference to forge the CEO's signature on a blank check!

Jou wasn't sure exactly why, but for some reason he had never trusted the balding Mr. Toguro. But now he _knew_ that the 39th floor's leader was a rat- and one that he planned to catch.

The blonde darted out of his chair and quickly caught an employee elevator to the 39th floor. He knew Seto Kaiba was in a meeting and couldn't be interrupted, so for the time being he was on his own. There was a soft *ding!* as the elevator doors opened. Jou barely bothered announcing himself as he stepped into the large corner office.

"Hello, Mr. Toguro. Dunno if we've met, but the name's Jounouchi Katsuya- an' I'm part of the KaibaCorp. Internal Security sector." Jou grinned as he gave the embezzler a cordial greeting. The other man was still at his desk, although the forged check seemed to have mysteriously disappeared from sight. The short, elder employee turned and took in the lanky visitor, clearly not flustered.

"Oh? I see then- welcome. I am Hanaka Toguro, head of the Distribution Co-ordination Strategies department." He gave a slight bow as he spoke to the newcomer. "I run the 39th floor, and we handle the communications and physical shipments between various KaibaCorp offices and partnerships."

"Really? That's funny, 'cuz I didn' think anyone outside of the upper payroll division was authorized to _write_ _checks_ on Mr. Kaiba's behalf." Jou put one hand on his chin in mock thoughtfulness, "yet I'm _certain_ I jus' saw you signing  his name on a bank order!"

"Wha-" the older employee's face grew red as he stumbled over his own retort. "I-I can assure you, young man; I do _not_ write checks here! I don't even have a corporate account!"

"Oh-ho?" Jou could spot one corner of the aforementioned check just peeking out from beneath a stack of assorted paperwork on the desk. Apparently Mr. Toguro didn't have enough time to hide the evidence well. The security officer deftly plucked the forgery from the stack, smirking as he did so. "So I'm guessin' this is jus' part of your 'distribution co-ordination strategies,' then? Because it looks like embezzlement to me!"

"That's- I- it isn't...' The department head scowled, knowing he was caught. But the shrewd man quickly changed his expression to a simpering smile. "Hmm. I guess that's it, then- I suppose you were planning on turning me in, but I suspect that wouldn't be a very wise move. I've heard rumors of your... situation," here the businessman's crooked smirk grew, "and I know you're not even remotely wealthy. But play your cards right..." the underhanded man gestured towards the incriminating bank slip, "and you could be. Hand over that check, and I'll give you five million yen." Jou's eyes involuntarily widened at the large offer. Sensing interest, Mr. Toguro carried on. "H*ll, seeing as you're on Kaiba's security team, you could even be of great use- just keep Kaiba from discovering our little 'agreement' and I'll double your fee!"

"Hmm, nah. Your offer's generous an' all..." Jou turned around, still holding the illicit check like a small flag, "but I got nothin' against the big boss guy, and you're breakin' the law. So now I'm gonna take this right up the bigwig himself."

"Grrr-" The displeased offender growled at the moving blonde. Jou started to march down the rows of cubicles, and Mr. Toguro followed after him, quietly hissing threats. "You- you _stupid_ , brown-nosing _street trash_! _You don't know who you're messing with!_ You won't even make it to the top floor." The shorter man promised furiously.

"Don' need to." The Brooklyn-born teen grinned. "Ya really think I'm stupid enough to come here without any backup?"

The confused businessman quickly twisted around, looking for other witnesses. He snorted when he realized no one else on his floor was away from their cubicle. "Fool- you definitely don't have any other security members with you."

Jou's grin widened as he pointed upwards. "True, but video backup has a much better memory, no?"

Mr. Toguro's jaw dropped in horror as he realized that the HD cameras would surely be holding evidence of his embezzlement. Disabling the high-tech camera system was beyond his capabilities, but he had always been discrete enough that his fraud wasn't noticed. But apparently the other guards weren't as attentive as this troublesome brat- and now he'd been trapped.

"Sh*t!" The fraudster swore as he realized that, in his distracted state, he'd also lost sight of the blonde guard. _'If I don't stop that kid- maybe up my bribe again- I'm_ _dead!'_

Meanwhile, Jou had taken off as soon as Mr. Toguro looked upwards at the security system. 'I gotta get to Kaiba's office- _fast_!' The fast-paced teen had already reached the twin employee elevators, but noticed that they were already in use. But he was struck with an idea when he noticed both of the cars were headed up. Grinning, Jou turned to the lesser-used stairwell and slipped his security key-card in the door reader.

A few moments later, huffing and puffing, the head of the Distribution Co-ordination Strategies department reached the same hallway. He also noticed that both of the employee elevators were already heading towards the upper floors.

"Damn that kid! He must be on one of the elevators!" Mr. Toguro muttered ruthlessly. 'Oh well, too bad for him- **I** know how crowded those cars get around this time of day! All I need to do is go up one or two floors and they're both almost _guaranteed_ to stop there!'

The devious man raced up the stairs, eagerly watching as both doors coincidentally opened on the next floor. But he was shocked to find only a few very confused office workers staring back at him- none of them with blonde hair.

'WHAT?! He wasn't on either of them?! But how- sh*t!' The corrupt employee jumped in the right elevator, forgetting that it would not head directly to the top.

Elsewhere in the building, the youngest security employee was making his way up to the very top of the building. He gasped as he scaled yet another flight of stairs. "Just- *huff* -a few more- *wheeze* floors!" Jou gasped as the final set of steps came into view. "Yes!" He managed to take them two at a time before reaching the heavy door separating the stairwell from the office floor. His key-card gave him access, and he stumbled into the reception area of Seto Kaiba's personal suite.

"I have to see Mr. Kaiba! It's an emergency!" He gasped towards the red-haired receptionist staring blankly at him.

Thankfully, the young woman saw the sincerity in the blonde's eyes and believed him. She nodded dutifully and pressed a small button on her speaker console. "He just came back from a meeting. Go on through- I'll close the doors behind you."

"Thanks!" He yelled back over his shoulder as he headed towards the CEO's inner sanctum. The massive doors opened, allowing Jou to race up to the handsome mahogany desk.

Apparently Kaiba was currently on a call with some manner of businessperson, but he quickly excused himself when he saw the state of his youngest guard. "I'll call you back after four." He hung the cordless silver desk phone back onto its receiver as he took in his guest. "Jou? Why are you so disheveled? What's happened?"

"It's- Mr. Toguro!" Jou managed to gasp as he tossed the incriminating evidence onto the CEO's desk. "He's been forging... stealing!"

One look at the crumpled paper slip was enough to fill in the blanks in the fatigued guard's tale.

"Hmm... I see." Seto closed his eyes for a moment, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his receptionist's voice.

"Sir? A Mr. Toguro from the Distribution Co-ordination Strategies department is here to see you- should I send him in?"

After a moment's thought, the brunette nodded grimly and hit the 'reply' button on the desk speaker. "Yes, allow him in." He turned to the security officer and nodded towards one of the opening doors. "I think it'd be best if you waited in one of the corners behind the doors." Jou nodded and complied, so it appeared that Seto was the only one in the room.

Soon Mr. Toguro made his way into the richly decorated office, his dark shoes glistening against the sapphire-toned carpeting. The balding man looked smug as he approached the blue-eyed president. "Greetings, Kaiba-sama. I'm afraid I have a bit of bad news for you regarding one of your employees."

"Bad news?" Seto glanced casually downwards at his desk. "I see- so I assume you're going to attempt to explain this situation somehow-?" The CEO trailed off expectantly as he waved the creased check back and forth like a flag.

Mr. Toguro gaped in horror as the powerful billionaire gave him a stern glare. "Of course, I'm certain I've already heard all that I need from my associate..." Seto gestured towards the back-left corner of the room. Jou couldn't help but snigger slightly as he stepped out from behind the ornate office door.

Mr. Toguro seemed floored by the revelation. "K-Kaiba-sama! Surely you don't believe this _low-level brat_?! I've been with the company for over fifteen years!"

The young executive glowered at the shaking man. "I trust his judgment, and I've seen evidence of his obvious talent for sorting out the good from the bad." A faint smirk grew on one side of the CEO's mouth. "Funny that you should call him a 'low-level' worker; because as of today- he's officially higher up than you. You're _**fired**_."

"Ack!" The balding businessman took a step backwards, as if he'd been physically struck. But the duplicitous worker soon recovered, and he leaned forward to give his former boss a brutal glare. " _Damn you_ , Seto Kaiba! You'll rue this! I promise you'll regret ever letting me go!"

"Somehow, I doubt that." Kaiba sat back down at his desk, and nonchalantly tented his fingers together. "You'll be charged in a court of law, and I have little doubt that you will face prosecution. But if you should ever return to my company, please be aware that news of your dishonorable departure will be shared among all of my security staff- coupled withorders _to show no leniency."_ The tough-minded CEO added somewhat threateningly.

Defeated, Mr. Toguro finally left the office, allowing the heavy doors to slam shut behind him. Seto watched as his personal bodyguards escorted the crook down to the basement level, where they would be keeping him until the Domino Police arrived.

The young executive sighed. He knew it would take the rest of the day to sort things out, and he'd have to provide statements and evidence...

...but at least the man had been caught. Seto glanced down at the check bearing his counterfeit signature. It listed a large amount, but not so large that it couldn't be buried amongst the many monthly expense reports that came out of the 39th floor division. A thought struck him as he realized just how many times Mr. Toguro might have pulled this same stunt before.

"Jounouchi."

"Eh?" The security monitor glanced at his preoccupied boss.

"How much?"

Jou blinked, unsure of what Kaiba meant. "Er, 'how much' what?"

"He did offer you money, I'm guessing?" Seto waved the forged check again. "In exchange for your silence?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot t' mention that part." The blonde grinned as he rubbed the back of his neck in chagrin. "Yeah, he said he'd pay me to keep my mouth shut."

"... and how much?"

Jou seemed confused by the other man's interest. "Erm, five million yen, an' then another five if I kept helpin' him."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed in scrutiny. "And why didn't you take the cash? That's a ridiculous amount of money, (at least, for someone like you,) right?"

Jou huffed, adorably offended by the insinuation. "Ya really think I'd sell my soul to a creep like that?!" The younger teen crossed his arms in front of his chest in a big 'X.' "No way, pal! This kid's true-blue, all the way!" He smiled before recounting his recent bought of good fortune. "'Sides, my sister already had her operation, an' I get more than enough from this job to keep my apartment. What do I need all that money for? Not to mention, I like workin' here- I owe ya a lot, Kaiba."

The cerulean-eyed leader raised one eyebrow. "Oh? And how did you reach _that_ conclusion?"

"Well, you got me a good job, you got those blood tests done for me, and you feed me practically every other weeknight!" Jou let out a hearty laugh. "I think it's clear that you've done me some favors, so consider this a token of my 'thanks!'"

"Hm. I see." Seto dismissed the shorter man with one wave of his hand. "In that case, I have to contact some of our financial partners, including whatever bank was foolish enough to issue our company checks to an unauthorized party."

"Gotcha. Catch ya later, boss!" Jou winked as he left the office, a wide grin still plastered over his face.

Technically, Seto knew he should have his other security staff hold Jou for police interrogation and investigation as well... after all, he could have been in on the whole thing. But the young executive felt stunned when he realized how unnecessary he knew such a step would be.

Seto Kaiba was shocked to find that he had indeed, grown to trust the wild blonde.

It was an odd revelation. His entire life, the only one he'd been able to trust was Mokuba, but now...

The blue-eyed executive sighed as he shook his head. He was grateful for Jou's loyalty; naturally, but the extent to which it had been tested was still impressive. If years of being surrounded by the most cutthroat businessmen had taught Seto Kaiba anything; it was the immeasurable value of a true ally.

'Perhaps I should find some way of honoring his actions... but would a promotion be suitable? No... he's still too young and new; it wouldn't be fair to the older security staff... perhaps something else...'

The distracted CEO kept the 'reward' idea in the back of his mind as he finished up the rest of the day's paperwork. But it wasn't until he'd gotten home that he realized what the perfect gesture would be.


End file.
